Shoujo Onmyouji
by Tenkage-chan
Summary: Centuries after the death of Abe no Masahiro, his descendant must now take up the mantle of spirit master, and defeat the evil that he could not. But can Guren put aside his grief over Masahiro, and accept Yuiko as his new master? Or can there be more?
1. Prologue: Prophecy Foretold

_**Shoujo Onmyoji~ **_

_The Adventures of Tominaga Yuiko_

A Fanfiction by Miyuki

Based upon "Shounen Onmyouji"

Forward: I do not own Shounen Onmyouji or its characters all rights belong to the original owners. This is merely a fan fiction for the purpose of fun and entertainment.

_Prologue: Prophecy Foretold _

_Heian-Kyo, 1047 Common Era-_

…Abe no Masahiro set aside the calligraphy brush, using his now-free fingers to pinch the headache forming at the bridge of his nose, between his eyes. The warmth of the summer nights had long since passed, leaving the chill of autumn to settle into his joints, making his fingers ache and tremble. He had splattered ink on his letter to the Minister of the Left more than once, and had been forced to start over each time. Only patience and perseverance had allowed him to finish his brush marks, and now the letter merely awaited its folding and deliverance.

The only sounds in the room came from the flickering of the oil lamp that lit his work, and those moths that dared to flutter too close. It was unsettling to the Onmyouji. Where once his evenings had been filled with the quite humming of his wife, as she sewed a kimono in the corner, her soft voice bringing him comfort as she patiently waited for him to finish his work, so they might retire together… But after Akiko's death, there was no more singing. And Masahiro's nights stretched on in endless, echoing silence…

"…Is it done?" He asked to the darkness, feeling the presence of a spirit hovering near his consciousness. In a waterfall of starlight, Rikugo appeared, kneeling before the aged spirit master with reverence.

"Yes." The Shikigami's responses were as brusque as ever, bringing a smile to Masahiro's lips beneath his white moustache.

"Very good… Please summon the others. There is much I need to tell you all…"

Rikugo nodded his affirmation, his form fluttering into nothingness for but a moment, before returning. The harmony of several other presences followed him, singing with iridescent light, and surrounding the old Onmyouji faithfully. Tenku, the wise, most powerful of the barrier shikigami. And beside him, dark-haired Genbu, his young eyes the same color as the water he commanded. Beside Genbu was Tai'in, the energetic, and sometimes volatile wind spirit. There was also silver-haired Tenkou, her eyes alight with her strong will. Green-haired Taijou bowed to him immediately, ever the respectful one. Byakkou, the tiger of wind, smiled as warmly as ever, beside his best friend and companion, Suzaku of the purifying flame. And with Suzaku, as always was beautiful Ten'itsu, standing peacefully beside her love. Seiryuu lurked along the wall, his face as pensively angry as ever. One smile from the confident and dark-haired Kouchin, however, and the water shikigami, shrugged his anger aside indifferently.

The only one Masahiro did not see immediately was one he did not even have to look for. For he was always by his side. Even if he did not see him, did not see him, Masahiro felt him there. That had been true in his youth, and remained true, even now. Touda- Guren- had not left Masahiro's side for a moment, even after all his memories of their past had been stripped. Guren's devotion and loyalty had never once faltered, and their friendship had been born into a new form, stronger than ever it had been.

"Thank you all, for coming." Masahiro sighed in a voice so weighed with weariness that it sounded foreign to his own ears. "I think you know why I have summoned you."

"This is in regards to _him_, is it not?" Tenku stated more than asked, wise as ever.

"Indeed…" Masahiro's hands dropped upon his knees, his shoulders collapsing as if suffering beneath a terrible weight. "…I must apologize, to you all… If not for my incompetence… In my grief of losing Akiko, I foolishly plunged head-first into a battle I was not prepared for, and as a result, many of you were hurt… Some of you even came very close to losing your current forms. Even worse, after those terrible losses, the best I could manage was to seal him away. I could not even properly defeat the one who had stolen Akiko's life… And I have left a threat more terrible in his place. For one day, the seal I cast upon will surely weaken, and he will free himself, and seek retribution once again… And because of that, I must now ask something more of you all…"

An uncomfortable silence stretched out between the shikigami and their master, none daring to utter even the faintest sound. They did not harbor any ill feelings towards Masahiro, the Onmyouji was well aware of that. But it was something for which he would never be able to forgive himself, even if they already had.

"…Over that past few months, I have been meeting with Fujiwara no Toshitsugu, planning the development of several shrines throughout the lands of the capitol. These shrines encircle the seal in which _he_ is imprisoned, and are to act as additional reinforcement to the barrier holding him… These shrines have been constructed to house your spirits."

An uneasy murmur ran through the gathered Shinshou, and Masahiro was forced to close his eyes to their sad expressions. "I have no successor…" Masahiro choked with shame. "When I perish, the seal upon him will immediately begin to weaken, and there is no Onmyouji now who possesses the power to reinforce it. Which is why I must call on all of you… By sealing yourselves within the shrines Toshitsugu and I have constructed, the barrier will be protected. I… am sorry…"

Silence once again stretched out before him, and Masahiro could not bring himself to lift his eyes. Only when the soft hands of Ten'itsu brushed his shoulders did the old Onmyouji dare lift his gaze.

"Masahiro-sama… We shall do whatever you ask of us." The golden-haired shikigami smiled with sadness, knowing full-well how difficult this was for him to ask of them. The Onmyouji's eyes rimmed briefly with tears, before he bowed his head towards them, touching his forehead to the ground in reverence.

"I thank you, all…"

"…One concern, Masahiro-sama." Taijou spoke softly, gaining attention. "Even if we are all to form the restraints that hold the barrier in place, you know that our power alone is not sufficient. The seal will hold, yes… But for long, is uncertain. He will eventually break free, even with our powers."

"I am aware, Taijou… And I have been making preparations for that, as well." Masahiro reached for the scroll resting carefully atop his desk, peeling back the parchment for the shikigami to see its contents. "Over the last several full moons, I have been divining a prophecy. When the seal is at last shattered, and he again walks the mortal lands, so shall awaken another- a descendant of my blood. It is this person who shall be my true successor. They shall find and awaken you from your slumber, and shall possess all the power of the Abe blood. They alone will be able to defeat him, at last."

"Possess all the power of the Abe blood?" Tai'in repeated the words curiously, before covering her small mouth in shock. "Masahiro-sama! This prophecy, its-!"

"Yes." Masahiro's gaze did not flinch. "It is a spell of sealing, binding the powers of the Abe bloodline. It will cause the powers of my ancestors to go dormant, and converge solely into one individual, in every generation. That was the only way I could think of… to ensure that the one to fight him would be powerful enough…"

"But, Masahiro-sama…" Kouchin looked hurt. "Without their spiritual power, the Abe bloodline will lose its standing… They will never succeed as Onmyouji, and we can never know when exactly the seal will break upon him!"

"I am aware of that, Kouchin, and believe me, I have considered it…. But I have spoken to my sons, and they have agreed… This… is the only way. Besides, how could I ask such a sacrifice of all of you, and yet give up nothing, myself?"

The smile he offered them was not without pain, but as always, Masahiro's determination never faltered. With heavy reluctance, the gathered shikigami departed to complete their selected tasks, vanishing in stardust curtains to complete their master's bidding. All departed, leaving Masahiro alone in the silence of the room.

All, save one.

"Still here, eh, Guren?"

"Dumbass." The shikigami of hell fire dropped himself unceremoniously beside Masahiro, his heavenly shroud settling about his shoulders and catching the candlelight in a warm glow. Guren's flinty eyes locked with Masahiro's warm stare. "What the hell do you think you're doing, forcing yourself to stay up, like this? You've been ill for the last two months! The whole time you were talking, it was a struggle for you just to sit up, wasn't it? You're not as young as you used to be- Seimei's Grandson."

"Heh, I really can't get anything past you, can I, Mokkun?"

"'Course not. And besides…" Guren propped his chin into his open palm, his gaze steering away. "You had Toshitsugu only erect_ eleven_ shrines. We both know that you've got something else planned for me. Ne?"

Masahiro only laughed. It really was impossible for him to deceive Guren. The shikigami had always been his dearest friend, and could read him as easily as a solitary kanji.

"What was with that whole 'when I die' routine, anyways?" He asked grumpily, glaring irritably at Masahiro, his eyes like two burning coals. "That was the sort of stuff Seimei used to pull on you, to get you to do what he wanted. The older you get, the more you seem to take after him."

"You really think so?" Masahiro grimaced, his head dropping between his shoulders as a look of distaste filled his expression. "Ugh. You're right. To think I've sunk so low… Ojii-sama must be laughing at me from the other side, right now."

"Probably." Guren grinned. "He always did have you wrapped around his finger, even if you weren't aware of it."

Masahiro's response did not come immediately, his shoulders remaining slumped, and his face shadowed by lengths of silver hair. "Ne, Guren… Do you recall… When we first met?"

The shikigami straightened, his expression scrunching with a mixture of confusion and pain. "Masahiro, you know I don't…" He shuffled uncomfortable, twisting his legs into Indian position. "When you brought me back… All my memories of that past were erased… You used your own life, to purge my sins…"

"Yes, I know…" The old Onmyouji grinned, despite himself. "What's with that guilty-looking face? Haven't I told you countless times that it wasn't your fault?"

"Doesn't matter. Even if I don't remember, Seiryuu told me precisely what it was that I had done to you. He will never forgive me for those crimes…"

Masahiro again put a hand to his temple. "Honestly. Seiryuu needs to learn how to let things go."

"And I don't understand how you can forgive me so readily!" Guren snapped, averting his eyes with shame. "I betrayed you… I _hurt_ you, and I nearly killed you! But still, you… You gave your life, for my sake, to bring me back… When I learned of that sacrifice you made for me… I _swore_ that I would always protect you. That I would always remain by your side…"

Masahiro's hand rested gently atop the shikigami's shoulder, the old Onmyouji wincing with guilt. "Forgive me… It was not my intention to cause you pain, Guren. I know your devotion to me. Of all the friends I have had in my life, you are the dearest. My trust in you is absolute- which is why I wanted you to remain vigilant, while the others sleep. You are the only one I could entrust this task to, Mokkun…

"I entrust the safety of my family to you, Guren. When at last I am gone, and the others have fallen into their slumber, I ask that you remain awake to protect my descendants. I know that he will try to strike at them from within his seal. This prophecy… it was all I could do, but I fear that I have put them in terrible danger, as a result. But if you are there, then I can rest easy, knowing that you will protect them."

The shikigami lifted curious eyes. Masahiro was acting strange again, as if her talking future-tense without thinking of himself as being there. But Guren had chosen to devote himself completely to Masahiro's wishes, regardless.

"…You're talking like Seimei, again."

"Eh? Ahhh, you're right! How infuriating!" Masahiro threw his hands up in exasperation, scratching his head so hard as to knock off his court hat, before slumping in bitter defeat, and muttering about how he'd been manipulated by that 'lousy geezer'. Despite himself, Guren snorted in laughter. Comparing him to Seimei always seemed to put Masahiro back into better spirits, good humor he had been sorely missing, since Akiko had passed away.

"Heh, you're too easy Masahiro… Masahiro?" Guren's eyes flared in shock. The elderly Onmyouji had not lifted himself after his last tantrum, but remained slumped. His breathing was shallow and labored, and his hand clutched at his chest as it to ease it's painful thundering. Already so close, it took the shikigami barely a breath to be at his side, enfolding his master with strong arms, and easing him back. "Masahiro! What's wrong? Hey, Masahiro!"

"Eh? S-sorry, Guren… I'm fine, just… just tired… Heh, I suppose I'm too old to be flailing about like that, anymore."

"You need to rest! I told you, you shouldn't be pushing yourself, after you've been sick, like this! I'll protect your family, so stop worrying about it."

"Yes… You're right. I'm sorry…" Masahiro smiled bitterly. In truth, he had been expecting the attack for some time now. It was why he'd been so desperate to get everything into place. After returning from the land of death once before, he had long since been able to feel the approach of his end. A shaking hand lifted from its claw-like grip on his heart, dropping on Guren's shoulder pleadingly. "Please, Guren… There's something else… I must ask you…

"I already said I'd protect your family, Masahiro, you can stop fretting."

"No… Not that… Guren, I want… I want you… to find your own happiness."

"Eh?" The shikigami was completely taken aback by Masahiro's words. "Masahiro… I don't understand…"

"Guren… I want you to be happy… You've been by my side so long, but even with your memories gone, you've never been able to release yourself of your guilt. You need to forgive yourself, Guren… Forgive yourself, and… find what it is… _you_ want to live for…"

"Masahiro…"

"Ah… I'm so tired, Guren… I think… I'm going to rest, now…"

Panic gripped the shikigami's gut, his clawed hands digging gently into Masahiro's shivering form.

"Akiko is… waiting for me, Guren…" Masahiro sighed, his hand dropping weakly from the shikigami's shoulder. Guren's bright eyes darted between that hand, and Masahiro's face, his eyes glazed with endless sleep. "It's time… I joined her…"

"No! Masahiro! Stay with me!"

"Forgive me… Guren… Sayonara…"

"Masahiro… Masahiro!"

The shikigami's screams tore through the shroud of the sky, penetrating the veil of heaven. Masahiro's face remained fixed in a smile, and expression that burned itself into Guren's memory. But within the Abe household, with their powers now sealed, there remained none who could hear his agonized cry…

_"Masahiroooo!"_


	2. Chapter 1: Yuiko

_**Shoujo Onmyoji~ **_

_The Adventures of Tominaga Yuiko_

A Fanfiction by Miyuki

Based upon "Shonen Onmyoji"

Foreword: I do not own Shounen Onmyouji or its characters all rights belong to the original owners. This is merely a fan fiction for the purpose of fun and entertainment.

_Welcome back! To the first official chapter of my new fanfiction, "Shoujo Onmyouji"! I hope you enjoyed the prologue, and I hope even more that the story I'm writing will be up to your expectations. I will be doing my best to make this a good fanfiction for everyone. Considering I don't know the first thing about Onmyoudo, this will be quite a challenge. But I am drawing on all my resources, for this, even my pathetically limited grasp of Japanese vocabulary, and all my tour guides._

_I greatly appreciate any and all reviews- be they flaming or not. After all, if you can't take the bad along with the good, you can't expect to be a good writer. As always, I am up for critiques and ideas/suggestions. I have a general idea of where I'm trying to go with this story, but I expect it to take me a while to develop it. I know these first couple chapters came out quickly, but I ask that you not expect too much of me, and be patient. I highly doubt I'll be able to get the other chapters out as quickly as this. Besides which, you can't expect the action to really kick in for a few more chapters, anyways. But, I promise to do my best! And above all, I must ask that you keep pestering me about it!_

_Weird request, I know, but I find I'm better about keeping my deadlines if I have people urging me to get things done, so your encouragement is greatly appreciated!_

_Chapter 1: Yuiko_

_Kyoto, The Modern Age-_

"…That'll be 5,567 yen."

"_What?_ But it took you ten minutes longer than you said it would!"

"Hey, I had some trouble finding the place."

A pair of hands snaked onto the edge of the window, practically forcing it down into the taxi door.

"I _told_ you how to get here! But you said you knew a shortcut!"

"So I was wrong. It happens, sometimes. What do you expect, with such a backwoods place?"

"You bastard!" A shrill, female voice echoed off the surrounding landscape. "You were just trying to weasel more money out of me, weren't you?"

"If you didn't like the rate, you could've always walked, lady."

"Why you….! Fine! Take your money! But don't expect a tip from me!" A fistful of bills was thrown through the open window. As the taxi pulled away, a woman's size eight collided with the bumper. "I hope you choke on it! Shmuck didn't even help me get my bags out- I had to get them myself! That's the last time I _ever_ take a taxi! I'll stick to the damn bus!"

She had been dropped off in one of Kyoto's less-populated areas. A section that was more forest than city, located very near to Kibune-san, the old mountain that had stood near the old capitol since it was called Heian-Kyo. Some people might've said that the place was beautiful- indeed, it was a lush and fertile region, filled with ancient architecture scattered throughout nature's garden. But to a girl from Tokyo, the cab-driver's description of "backwoods" had struck a chord, no matter how much she disliked him.

"Ugh… Guess I better get marching." She groaned, regarding the intimidating steps that climbed up the mountain. They were in decent enough repair, considering their age, but the torii gate at their front looked in desperate need of a new coat of paint. It didn't give her a whole heck of a lot of confidence in what she could expect at the top.

Suitcase dragging behind her, the young woman started her long climb. Slim legs pumped rhythmically beneath a short, pleated uniform skirt in a red-and-black plaid, muscles toned from long hours of sports and practice. Her stature was average of a high school student nearing adulthood, and her slim build reflected her athleticism, giving her a good figure, if a little less endowed than she would've liked. But even after long hours practicing under the sun, her skin retained its porcelain coloring. Soft black hair was cropped at chin-length, feathering out in small layers that gave the tomboyish cut an air of femininity.

About half-way up the steps, she came to short stop, wiping the sweat from her forehead. Athletic or not, those stairs were a workout for anyone, and the trees surrounding them offered little in the way of shade, with the sun blazing so brightly overhead. She was already dreading the walks up these stairs she could look forward to every day, and was contemplating throwing something into her exercises to get herself used to them faster. As it was, carrying not only her suitcase, but her backpack and messenger bag as well, it was hardly any surprise that she was getting worn out.

Shuffling in the foliage behind her caused her to spin about. She had glanced a shadow, and a white tail disappearing into the brush- a fox, maybe? She'd kind of had the feeling that she was being watched, perhaps from somewhere deep in the trees.

"Well, I shouldn't be surprised." She laughed nervously. "Given the size of this forest, there're probably tons of animals! It'd be no shock if I saw a few of them!"

Her cheeks were flushed with mild embarrassment. It was pitiful, how much she sounded like she was trying to convince herself. Her shoulders drooped beneath the weight of her backpack. How pathetic, that she should be so jumpy. Pushing it aside, she grasped the extended handle of her suitcase, and continued her trek up the stone stairway.

…Once she was far enough up the steps, a set of white paws set themselves back upon the stone, red eyes following after her once again. As she'd been pushing herself up the hill, it had been difficult to get a clear view of her face. But for the brief moment she had stopped had been more than enough, letting the sun shine clearly onto sculpted features reminiscent of an older style of beauty. She was a pretty girl, that was certain, the kind of girl who was better suited to kimono than the western style of clothing so popular these days. No doubt, she would have been considered a great beauty, in height of Heian-Kyo's prosperity. What had most sharply drawn his attention, however, had been her eyes- warm eyes, of such an off-shade of brown as to almost seem red. Gentle eyes, bright and inviting…

Masahiro's eyes…

~~~~~~~~~~Spacer~~~~~~~~~~~

"Konnichi-waaaa!" She called out from the top of the stairs, cupping her hands around the sides of her mouth. No answer.

Her arms folded across her chest, blowing a quick puff of air up into her bangs in an effort to keep them out of her eyes. She had thought that there would be someone here expecting her, when she arrived- the shrine's caretaker, or someone from his family. But given the old building's appearance, she was starting to wonder just how long it had been since _anyone_ had come up here.

The shrine was one of many, along the slopes of Mount Kurama. Though sadly nowhere near as famous as the shrine on Mt. Hiei, or even Kibune shrine, which lay further down the road. It was precisely because of the many famed shrines in this area that this particular one was often overlooked. Located near the Firefly Rocks this particular shrine was visited primarily in the summer, when the fireflies would appear in great numbers, like a thousand-thousand little stars, come down to play along the banks of Kibune river. This is where the shrine- Hotaru Shrine- had earned its name. But no matter its charm, Hotaru Shrine was simply too far away to be worth straying from the paths of Kurama village. In comparison, the Yuki Shrine, which was easily reachable and not fifteen minutes away from the mountain cable-car, was the far more preferred to visit.

"Excuse me!" She continued to call out, her suitcase wheels bouncing along the flagstones, which had become loose and uneven. "Hellooo? Is anyone there?"

She must've spent a good ten minutes walking the shrine's outer perimeter- or the areas she could reach, anyways. The rear of the shrine- its garden and living quarters- had been fenced off some time ago, and the forest had crowded around it far more than she remembered. Further proof of the shrine's lack of care. As if the aged wood and chipping paint wasn't evidence enough. It wasn't that it was in poor condition, but from an aesthetic approach, the building was in need of some TLC.

"Excuse me! I'm looking for this shrine's care-taker!"

"Hai, hai- just a moment, young lady." An aged voice at last responded from within the shrine, relief flooded through her limbs. She was beginning to fear that she'd have to venture inside, or just go back and stay at a hotel for the night. And given the price of the taxi ride, she'd hate to think what nightly rates were, around the tourist trap of Mount Kurama. It'd be enough of a hike just to get to the train station!

An elderly gentleman, wearing the light blue hakama of a priest, made his way out of the main building, a broom clutched in weathered hands. The man's most distinguishable feature had to be his eyebrows, however- they were so large and bushy, that they completely swallowed his eyes! He regarded her with more than a little bit of surprise- how long had it been since anyone had bothered to come up here?

"And how can I help you, ojou-san?" He bowed politely, his enormous brows twitching upwards with his smile. "I'm surprised you came all the way up here, this small shrine is some ways off the beaten path of Kuramadera. Are you lost, by chance?"

She shuffled uneasily, her cheeks coloring with embarrassment. "Kubozuka-san… It's me. Don't you remember? I sent you a letter, about a month ago?"

"Eh?" the elderly priest looked startled, his slumped shoulders straightening, before he bent closer to examine her face. "Can it be… Yuiko-chan?"

"It's good to see you again, Kubozuka-san." She bobbed her head nervously. "I haven't seen you at all, since I was four."

"Yuiko-chan!" The priest, Kubozuka, exclaimed in delight, actually dropping his broom to grasp her hands warmly, welcomingly. "Oh, welcome home, Yuiko-chan! It's wonderful to have you back!"

"Ah…" The girl called Yuiko gave the elderly priest a soft smile, her warm eyes tinged with an echo of sadness. "Tadaima…"

~~~~~~~~~~Spacer~~~~~~~~~~~

Tominaga Yuiko. Age eighteen. Her family- the Tominagas- were the rightful care-takers of Hotaru Shrine. The last priest had been her grandfather, Tominaga Seizaburo, and Kubozuka-san his assistant. When she'd been a child, her family had once resided in the shrine household. She had grown up playing in the surrounding forest. This place had been her sanctuary, a private world she'd had, all to herself and her family…

But after the birth of her younger brother, something changed. A great distance formed between her father and grandfather- the two of them started arguing, and eventually, their relationship crumbled. Within just a few days of their final disagreement, her father had packed up their entire family without a word to anyone, and moved to Tokyo, leaving behind Ojii-san and Hotaru Shrine, and never once looking back. After that, there was no more contact between Grandfather and them- they hadn't even been aware that he'd passed away, only a few years later...

_And yet, despite all that, here I am… back again_. Yuiko accepted the tea from Kubozuka-san gratefully, bobbing her head in thanks.

"Ah, it's so good to have you home, Tominaga-san!" The old priest laughed on, kneeling across from her at the table. "When I received your letter, I was so delighted, that I rushed back to make certain the living quarters were acceptable. I even bullied my son and daughter into helping me get the place cleaned up!"

"Yes, everything's fine, Kubozuka-san." Yuiko smiled patiently. "The old shrine's hardly changed, everything's exactly as I remembered- well, maybe a little overgrown." She sipped her tea, scanning the dining room. Unlike the shrine's exterior, its interior was in exceptional condition. Its wooden floors gleamed with polish, and the screen doors scarcely made a sound as they slid open on their tracks. The kitchen was perhaps a bit dated, but it was acceptable. A bit of work and some new appliances, and it would be just fine. "You know, Kubozuka-san, you can just call me 'Yuiko-chan', like you used to. There's no need to use my family name so formally."

"Oh, but I couldn't!" The priest straightened his shoulders. "After all, you are a young lady, now. And once you've completed high school, you shall be the rightful care-taker of the shrine. It wouldn't be inappropriate."

"I don't mind, really!" She laughed, waving her hands defensively. "Honestly, all this formality just makes me uncomfortable. I'd feel a lot better if you'd just think of me as 'little Yuiko', again."

"Hmmm… Very well, Yuiko-chan. But on one condition." Kubozuka's expression seemed very serious, but the smile that lightened it was as warm as she remembered- even if his eyes were lost beneath his eyebrows. "You must call me 'Kubo-jii', as you did when you were little. All right?"

"Hah, deal. I think I can handle that much."

She laughed, but Yuiko's eyes were not smiling. The old priest felt his heart drop. He remembered the girl before him as a child, with a smile so bright that the sun grew cold. In comparison to the young woman who sat before him, that smile now seemed like glass- fragile and easily broken.

It wasn't that she had returned to the shrine. This place was her home, and was filled with memories of a happy childhood, no matter how many years she had been away. Indeed, the shrine was likely one of the few places left to her that generated such peace of mind- something she was now desperately in need of…

"Yuiko-chan… Why don't you spend some time exploring the shrine for a bit, eh?" He offered hopefully, wishing to ease the pain behind her smile. "It's been a long time since you've been home- wander around for a while, and reminisce, while I get supper prepared."

"Eh? But Kubo-jii, don't you have to get home?"

"Don't be silly. If I were to leave you here to fend for yourself on your very first night back, why my wife would rise up out of her grave, just to chastise me! Not to mention your poor grandfather- he'd never let me hear the end of it!" Kubozuka laughed merrily, invoking an eased smile from Yuiko.

"All right, I guess it wouldn't hurt." The high schooler gave her socks a tug before standing, having never enjoyed that ridiculous 'loose socks' look. Why young women her age would risk getting hypothermia in winter for a fashion statement- and a bad one, at that- was beyond her. "Besides, I suppose I need to get my stuff settled into my old room, right?"

"There you go!' Kubozuka laughed encouragingly, collecting their empty cups and turning towards the kitchen. "I've been planning your 'welcome home' dinner ever since I received your letter! I hope you're hungry for some tonkatsu! Go on, and enjoy the house, while I get it ready."

"Yare-yare…" Yuiko pinched an eye closed, watching the bushy-eye-browed priest move with surprising energy, despite his age. She covered her bemused smile with her fingers- a habit she'd had since… well, she couldn't exactly remember, when. With a shake of her head, she slid open the screen door, and stepped out into the hallway.

The old shrine house really was the same. From the gardens, to the training dojo and central shrine, all the way back to the living quarters. The only difference she really had noticed, other than the outside being in need of some repair, was how much larger the forest seemed now- crowding in on the edges of the garden and outer walkways, and making the shrine- which was actually of rather decent size, seem much more cramped than it actually was. The peculiarities of growing up- things which had once seemed so large in childhood now seemed so small- the only exception being the ancient trees of Mount Kurama. Even now, those trees seemed to tower above the shrine, making it seem so much smaller in comparison to the rest of the world.

Her room was down at the rear of the hall, her bags having already been deposited there. Even now, the familiar ink-marks of badly-drawn cherry blossoms on the shoji screens made her hand pause before sliding the doors open, bringing a smile of nostalgia to her lips. Of course, she supposed she could've taken up the much larger master bedroom, she _was _now the rightful owner of the shrine. But something about staying in her deceased grandfather's room felt unsettling to her. And besides, the rooms of the shrine were rather spacious- unlike the rooms in a lot of other traditional Japanese houses.

Yuiko's suitcases had been piled neatly into one corner, near the closet. A low dresser provided storage for her clothes, though how much she would actually be able to fit into the child-sized piece of furniture concerned her. "I suppose I'll have to get a new one." She muttered absently to herself, sliding open the closet doors.

Her hands dropped onto the futon that had been carefully rolled away- it had been recently cleaned, no doubt thanks to Kubo-jii and his sons. But the familiar pattern of "Hello Kitty" gave her pause, even as she eased it out of the closet. Unwinding from its curl, the futon blanket shook out to its full length- barely reaching up to her chest.

"Guess I'll need a new futon, too." She grimaced at the child-sized bed, shaking it out. She could borrow one of the futons from the other rooms for now. The tiny pillow slipped out of the futon's folds, dancing across the tatami floors, and back into the closet, where it bounced into the furthest corner. A mild curse hissed passed Yuiko's lips as she dropped the futon, crawling into the closet's lower half in search of the pillow, so she could put the futon back away. Groping in the dark, her hand collided with pillow's soft front, rolling it into the closet wall. But instead of the expected "thump!" that should've accompanied it, the pillow seemed to drop down even lower- below the where the closet's floor should've been.

"Eh?" Yuiko stuck her head inside the closet, trying to gauge what had just become of her pillow. Her arm extended, hand reaching for the floor that should've been there… but encountered nothing. As her eyes adjusted to the dim light, she saw that instead of the closet floor, there was a hole just large enough for one person to fit through, if a bit snugly. It dropped under the closet, to beneath the floors of the house itself, leading out towards the western wall. Something clicked together inside her memory, and a grin made its way onto her face

"God, I'd forgotten all about this!" She chuckled to herself, pulling out just long enough to fish her pen-light out of her messenger bag. On hands and knees, Yuiko crawled into the hidden passageway, kicking her dropped pillow back out into the closet to worry about later. Her skin itched at the collected dust inside the tunnel, but the grin she wore, made with the pen-light gripped firmly in her teeth, never once left her face. To the tomboyish Yuiko, it was an irresistible delight.

~~~~~~~~~~Spacer~~~~~~~~~~~

…The ancient zelkova tree towered well above the shrine, having long ago reached its maximum height. The sacred shimenawa rope tied about its center was worn, its once-white color stained from possibly centuries of enduring the weather of Mount Kurama. Honestly, Yuiko had no idea how old the tree actually was. The zelkova by Kibune shrine was over six hundred, and given the size of the magnificent trunk, it was entirely possible that this one was older- much older.

It went without saying that the zelkova tree was sacred, but to Yuiko, its holiness came from something other than the rice-straw rope tied about it. The arguments between her father and grandfather frightened her, as a child, and whenever they began, Yuiko would retreat into her room, and her own imaginary world, trying to blot out their angry voices. It had been one such occasion, when she'd been playing with her imagined friends, that she'd first opened the passageway beneath her closet floor. It was as if a voice had called her there, and upon emerging from the tunnel's darkness, she found herself at the zelkova's hidden garden. There was no other way to reach it, the small glade had been walled off long ago, no doubt during one of the shrine's many reconstructions. The old well near to it had been boarded up, having long-since run dry, and the ancient koi pond no longer housed fish. But the flowers were as beautiful as they must have been for a hundred years. Discovering this place had expanded four-year-old Yuiko's world in ways she never thought possible.

_But it was more than that,_ the now eighteen-year-old mused as she circled the old zelkova, her hand absently caressing its bark. This place was a sanctuary, to her. In the presence of the sacred tree, Yuiko had felt safe and at peace. As if the tree itself were trying to protect her. Even now, it exuded a sense of comfort and security, and Yuiko found herself nestling in the soft grass between its great roots on the mountain's down slope, just as she had done as a child.

"I missed this place…" A sigh escaped her, hands intertwining behind her head. It was as if she could hear the echoes of her childhood laughter. Long hours of playing with imaginary creatures stretched before her nostalgic eyes- she could almost see herself in the past, kneeling over the koi pond in hopes of catching even one fish. But her small hands splashed in the water in vain, and she tumbled forward, headfirst, into the water.

_"Not again… Yuiko, what have I told you about playing by the pond?"_

A large pair of hands picked her up from the water's chill, wrapping her in the warmth of a shroud. Tears burned in her eyes, but the soothing feeling of a hand stroking her hair kept them at bay. The same deep tenor kept murmuring to her, softly, encouragingly, until she at last fell asleep beneath the zelkova, wrapped in strong arms…

_Come to think of it, who was that?_Her sleep-drugged mind struggled with the thought, even as a yawn escaped her lips. Surrounded by past memories and the scent of zelkova, with the weight of her long trip finally crashing down on her, Yuiko did little to fend off her exhaustion. She made a valiant effort, though, trying to recall the face that belonged with that voice. For some reason, it never occurred to her that the man could be a stranger- had he been a friend of the family? Heavy lids drifted shut- he'd spoken as if he knew her… Why couldn't she recall his face?...

…The leaves of the zelkova rustled, muffling the soft breathing that now came from beneath its protective canopy…

~~~~~~~~~~Spacer~~~~~~~~~~~

Tokyo, Seven Months Prior…

_"…So? Are you finally done with your club, Yuiko-chan?"_

"Yeah, I am." Her cell phone was nudged between her ear and her shoulder, as she struggled to lace up her sneakers. "Sorry that practice ran so late, be we've got a tournament coming up, next week. Oh yeah!" Her foot dropped to the ground, laces secure. Excitement bubbled in the senior's voice, as she spoke to her mother. "Did I tell you? I'm going to be the lead starter, for the tournament, this time!"

_"Oh, that's wonderful, dear! How exciting for you!"_ She could hear her mother cooking in the background, the clatter of dishes as her younger brother helped set the table. _"Anata, isn't that wonderful? Yuiko-chan is going to be the lead at her upcoming martial arts tournament!"_

_"Is that so?"_Her father's voice sang with pride in the background. _"Well, then I guess we have two things to celebrate tonight, don't we?"_

"Did daddy get his promotion?" She asked excitedly, scooping up her satchel, as she made her way out of the locker-room.

_"He did! That's why you need to hurry home- we're having sukiyaki, to celebrate!"_

"All right! Maybe if I run, I can still catch the train!"

Over the sound of her jogging, she heard the doorbell ring in the background. She could already imagine her mother, stuck at the stove, and unable to move.

_"Ohh… Yuichi-chan, will get the door for me, please?"_

_ "Hai, Kaa-chan!"_

A smile tugged approvingly at Yuiko's lips, hearing her brother's voice. Yuichi was four years younger than herself. Thirteen, and already showing a tendency to follow after his big sister. Morning training that she had once done by herself now involved sparring practices with her younger brother, whose kempo was developing rapidly. Of course, they still argued, as could be expected of siblings, but whenever she popped in an action movie, or played a video game, Yuichi was there, ready to challenge her. She couldn't help but feel a swelling of pride for her otooto. The train station was just up ahead- she could already hear the loud clanging, as the train pulled in- she would only just make it. But she couldn't hear what her mother was saying, over the noise.

"What was that, mom? I didn't catch that." Yuiko plugged her opposite ear, struggling to hear her mother's voice over the train bells.

_"Yuichiii!"_

It wasn't a scolding… it was a scream. Yuiko stopped cold. There was an odd sound in the background that reminded her of meat being torn, followed by a sickeningly wet thump. Her mother was shrieking, her voice filled with terror and agony.

_"Yuichi! YUICHI!"_

_ "Dame, Yui! Don't get any close- __**Grraaughhh!**__"_

_ "__**Anata!"**_

"Kaa-chan…" Her voice seemed caught in her throat, it was painful to swallow. "Kaa-chan, what's going on? What just happened to Yuichi and dad?"

_"Eyyaaaughhhh!"_

Her mother's voice was filled with pain, and her scream was followed by more of those terrible sounds. There was a clatter- the phone being dropped. Yuiko's arms felt numb.

"Okaa-san… Okaa-san! Okaa-san!" People at the station were staring at her weirdly, but Yuiko felt their gazes not at all. She continued to shout for her mother over the phone, calling for her father, her brother- anyone, if they would just tell her that everything was okay.

"Okaa-san! …Otou-san! Yuichi!… Please… Please, answer me!"

Heavy breathing was all she heard in response, like someone panting, their voice half-garbled from exertion. A lingering, sinister chuckle hid behind those breaths, causing Yuiko's blood to freeze in her veins. Just above it, she could hear watery coughs, like someone choking from a drink gone down the wrong way.

_"…Yui…ko-chan…"_

The too-soft sound of her mother's voice was abruptly cut off, as the line went dead.

When Yuiko got home, the apartment complex was crawling with police. Red and blue lights flashed, but with so much commotion, the officers couldn't react quickly enough to stop the one high school girl from running past their crime scene tape. She thundered up the stairs, ducking under the grasping arms of a surprised officer, as she rounded the corner to her family's apartment.

"Hey, wait! You can't go in there- kid!"

The police couldn't stop her, she was too fast, too well-trained from long hours of practicing kempo. Just in front of the open doorway, her foot came into contact with something slippery, causing her feet to slip out from under her. She dropped onto her rear in the substance, legs splayed, as she picked herself back up.

"Ugh! What is this-?" Her voice died, looking to the hand she had brought up to examine. Porcelain skin was stained crimson, and the substance soaked into her uniform. Blood.

She was sitting in blood.

Quivering eyes lifted slowly, not seeing the startled expressions of the CSI officers looking her way. She did not feel the hands trying to pick her up off the ground, nor hear those voices telling her over and over that she shouldn't be here. Yuiko's red-brown eyes were fixed on something else, on a small form lying just inside the entry way, as the police hurriedly moved to cover it with a shroud. But they had not been fast enough.

Past the blood smeared across his face, Yuichi's lifeless eyes seemed to be asking her.

_Why?_

She screamed.

~~~~~~~~~~Spacer~~~~~~~~~~~

Yuiko practically jumped up from the zelkova, her entire body shivering. Her hands clawed at her arms, cold sweat trickling down the back of her neck. Slowly, the images began to recede. She remembered where she was, and became faintly aware of the hot tears stinging her cheeks- tears she had shed in her sleep, over those horrendous memories…

It had taken them a long time to calm her down, after that. Once it was learned that she was the household's eldest daughter, they ushered her to the nearest ambulance, wrapping her in a blanket, all things her shock-laced mind could scarcely perceive. The months that followed were all just as much of a blur- days filled with police officers asking her questions, and doctors monitoring her mental health. She missed the tournament. In fact, she missed so much of school, that it became necessary for her to completely retake her last year. But all these things simply slipped by her, as her grief gnawed away at her spirit.

The official police report stated that it had been a botched burglary. Some crazed gang members, or drug addicts had come up to the more respectable part of town, looking for a bigger score. Her family had just been the unlucky victims chosen… But even now, Yuiko didn't know how much she believed that. She had been spared by the dumb luck that her club practice had run late. But the screams of her mother and father on the phone still haunted her. For those first two months, sleep had been an impossibility. Every time she passed out from exhaustion, the nightmares would take her, and she relived that final phone call.

Slowly, very slowly, Yuiko had been able to drag her spirit back up from the depths. She recovered enough to sleep again, and to eat regularly. But meals that had once been filled with familiar laughter and voices were now barren. She couldn't stay in the old apartment- it was simply unthinkable. Even though the tatami had been replaced, and the place thoroughly cleaned, even stepping foot inside there brought back those images of seeing Yuichi's cold stare as the shroud was hurriedly pulled over him. She'd made one trip back, to collect her clothing and a few sentimental things, and had the rest auctioned off. There was also the mess of inheritance. Her family wasn't rich, but her father had been a very intelligent man, when it came to saving. Add that to everything she'd earned from the auction, and Yuiko was actually fairly well-set. She had the money to live quite comfortably, wherever she wanted.

Which came to the problem of where to live. She couldn't go back to Tokyo, that much was certain. As far as she was concerned, she never wanted to set foot inside the city boundaries, again. So when the question of the family shrine came up, she'd made the move as quickly as possible, remaining in Tokyo only as long as it took to complete the police reports and paperwork.

"Damn…" She hissed a curse, stretching off the last remnants of the nightmare. Who knew how long it would take her to forget it completely- if she ever could. Depression seemed to physically weigh on her shoulders. The doctors had tried to make her take anti-depressants, to help her "cope" with the pain. But Yuiko had refused at every turn. If it meant numbing her feelings for her family, she'd rather have the pain, raw and bleeding. At least then, she'd know her feelings were real. At least then, she'd know she was still alive- still human- and not some empty husk…

She must've been asleep for longer than expected, because the sun was already starting to dip towards the horizon, beginning to dress the sky in shades of orange and yellow. Kubo-jii was no doubt readying dinner, and wondering where she was. She needed to get back to her room- and that meant crawling back through the dusty old passage.

"Ugh, I'm _so_ gonna need a bath, after this." She groaned, picking herself up from the zelkova's roots. The tree certainly wasn't as comfortable as she remembered, as a twisting pain in her lower back insisted. Probably because she had gotten so much bigger, where as a child she could easily curl into the awkward spot. Yuiko lifted her right foot cautiously, stepping around the knotted wood with care. She was on the down slope, after all- tripping here would only mean a long tumble into the forest below, and she really didn't much feel like cracking her head on a rock, or something.

_Careful, careful…_

"You know, you really shouldn't be napping in someone's private garden."

Brown eyes widened, and Yuiko spun in place, questing for the body which owned the voice that had just spoken. The koi pond, the well, even around the zelkova tree- but no one could be seen. The tension in her shoulders relaxed. Other than the passageway, the only way to get to this hidden garden would be to scale the mountain through the dense forest. And only if you knew where to find it, did you have any chance of doing so. It was impossible for someone else to be here.

_I must still be half asleep,_ she muttered in her thoughts, lifting her opposite sneaker in the same way she had the right.

"Better be careful- you don't want to fall."

_Okay, I __**know**__ I just heard that!_ Mid-step, Yuiko spun again preparing to shout accusingly at whoever was lurking nearby. But her footing wasn't stabilized. Her laces snagged onto some of the undergrowth, jerking out whatever ground she'd had. She felt herself falling backwards- down the slope.

"Nooooo-agh!"

Yuiko rolled down the hill, her back crunching into foliage and branches all the way. Plants snaked at her legs, scratching her skin and tearing at her clothes. She flailed her limbs in an effort to stop herself, only to whack her shin painfully against the trunk of a tree. Eventually, she was able to rotate herself enough that it was her legs going downhill first, rather than her head. Her heels dug into the dirt and mud, staining the back of her white socks miserably. But even though the effort managed to slow her sliding, it couldn't stop it completely. Her backside pushed forward, causing her knees to bend sharply, and roll her into a semi-fetal position. The thick trunk of a tree loomed directly ahead of her- a painful prospect that Yuiko wasn't much looking forward to. In a last ditch effort, she shove her feet forward into the tree, and pushed. Small rocks and stones continued to roll down the leaves beside her, but Yuiko's momentum had finally halted.

Her entire body ached, now. And the shin that had banged into the tree would no doubt develop into a bruise, in no time. Leaves and plants stuck out of her hair at weird angles, and the entire back of her uniform was caked with dirt. It wasn't anything that couldn't be shaken out, but she was starting at her new school in only a few days. With this much of a mess, she'd probably have to take the damn thing to the dry-cleaners!

"Ite-te-te-teeee!" The pained sound escaped her lips, as she curled up even tighter, a hand rubbing the back of her skull, where a dull pain now throbbed.

"I _told_ you to be careful, girl."

Yuiko's eyes shot open, the same voice from before! But all she saw as she looked around was the forest- there was no sign of any other human being. There was a small, fox-sized creature with white fur, staring at her very intently. Most likely, she'd disturbed the poor thing, on her tumble down. It glared at her with eyes so red that they almost glowed, a red flower-shaped mark on its forehead. The fur on its chest was also accented by red streaks that seemed to circle its shoulders, almost like the chains of station once worn by European nobles. The direction of the voice had come from somewhere near the creature, that was certain, and she continued to glance around it. If she didn't know better, the creature almost looked… annoyed.

"So? Are you all right?"

This time, Yuiko's eyes did not leave the creature. If she had not witnessed its mouth moving, she would not have even believed it possible. Back in the garden, the reason she hadn't been able to find the culprit was because she'd been looking for a person. But the voice she was looking for, the one who had spoken to her, both in the garden and now, did not belong to another human being-

It had come from this strange animal.

"Hellooooo? I asked if you were all right?"


	3. Chapter 2: Mokkun

_**Shoujo Onmyoji~ **_

A Fanfiction by Miyuki

Based upon "Shonen Onmyoji"

Foreword: I do not own Shounen Onmyouji or its characters all rights belong to the original owners. This is merely a fan fiction for the purpose of fun and entertainment.

_Welcome back! To the second chapter of "Shoujo Onmyouji". I hope the previous chapter was to your liking, and that this one will be as well! In the last chapter, we got to meet Yuiko, who I'm sure you've all already guessed in the story's heroine. We got to know a little bit about her, and her past, but I wish I could've played her personality, more. Yuiko is supposed to be tomboyish and energetic, but that's hard to put out, when the character is recovering from tragedy._

_As always, I am open to any and all forms of critiques/suggestions. I may not respond to everything, but I will always read everything, good or bad._

_Chapter 2: Mokkun_

Tominaga Yuiko found herself staring at a most unusual creature.

It was about the size of a large house cat- or maybe a fox- and resembled something of a cross between the two. But not its ears, definitely not, those looked more like they belonged on the head of a rabbit, or something. Its fur was a glossy white that looked incredibly soft to the touch, especially its long, silken tail. In sharp contrast, its front and rear claws were so dark as to look like they'd been dipped in brown ink, long and wickedly sharp. It stared at her with eyes burned red, looking through dark, slitted pupils, and carrying an almost bored expression- odd how those animalian features lent themselves to that so well. From there, several red… spikes, for lack of a better term, protruded from the fur wreathing its lower neck, circling just above the shoulder blades. And atop its forehead, four crimson crescents formed an almost cross-like shape, or perhaps a flower. Something told Yuiko that the creature wasn't likely to exist, in any documentation of Japanese fauna.

But what was strangest about the creature was not its appearance, or unusually intelligent eyes. What was strangest was that the creature, after watching Yuiko grind and crunch her way down the unforgiving slope of Mount Kurama, had quite suddenly spoken to her.

"Hellooooo? I asked if you were all right?"

And most intelligibly, as its latest sentence demonstrated. It wasn't possible, right? There's no way some strange animal could be talking to her, like another person, was there? Red-brown eyes blinked in utter bafflement, and Yuiko wondered not for the first time just how hard she'd actually banged her head, on the way down. _Speaking of headaches…_ She dropped her right hand onto her throbbing skull. First, falling asleep at the zelkova tree, then missing her footing due to an imagined voice, tumbling nearly all the way back down the mountain, and now hallucinating that an animal was worried about her? It was more than her damaged brain could handle. Yuiko pinched her eyes shut, trying to will away the pain between her eyes.

"Hmph, she's probably got a concussion."

And, there it was again! There was no ignoring it, this time, those words had definitely come out of that creature's mouth! She'd even seen its tiny fangs, curling into a grimace of annoyance. Once again daring to look up- but making a valiant effort to avoid direct eye-contact- Yuiko watched the small animal with more than a little trepidation. From the corner of her eye, she saw the cat/fox/bunny thing paw its way towards her, circling the high schooler with head lowered.

_Okay, there's no way this thing could be talking to me, right?_ Once again, she closed her eyes, folding her arms in front of her chest in deep contemplation. _I fell a long way, and I bumped my head pretty hard. This is just a… a hallucination! That's it! I whacked my head so hard, that I'm seeing things!_

"Hellooooo, stupid-girl-who-fell-asleep-by-the-zelkova-tree-and-then-fell-down-the-mountain! Can you see me? Eh? Eh?"

Yuiko started, as the creature jumped atop her curled-up knees, pinching her eyes closed, and willing the hallucination away.

_It's not real! It's not real! You just hit your head, it's not real!_

"Feh, guess not. I shouldn't be surprised." The creature sat down upon its new perch, glaring at her dully with its red eyes. "I thought maybe she'd fallen because she was startled by my voice, up by the zelkova, so I felt kinda bad. Buuuut, I guess not- I guess she just fell 'cause she's a klutz."

Yuiko could feel a vein twitching up by her eyebrows, annoyance flaring inside of her. _It's just a hallucination, Yuiko. You can't get angry at hallucinations._

"Ya hear that, girl? Eh?" She could feel a furry paw bouncing lightly atop her skull. "I said you're a klutz! But wait, you didn't hear me, did ya? 'Cause you can't even see me! Not only that, but now you're filthy, too! You'll have to take a bath, and clean your uniform- and what's with all these short skirts, nowadays?"

Another vein. _Get… off… my… head! Can you kill a hallucination?_

"Don't you women have any sense of modesty, anymore? What happened to kimonos and yukatas- y'know, actually looking classy? Wearing your skirts above your knees like that makes you look like some sort of trollup!"

_Trollup? Why that little-! …Okay, calm down. Just remember, it's not real!_

"Eh, but I suppose it's not entirely her fault." The weight left her knees, and Yuiko dared to peek open one red-brown eye. The creature had turned its back to her now, and was vigorously cleaning its forepaws. "After all, she didn't choose her uniform. I'd think most girls would at least choose something that looked flattering on them- not something that makes them look like a boy from the waist up. Of course, that haircut ain't helping her any."

Another vein popped out, her hands clenched so tightly as to drain away the blood, leaving her skin white. All pretentions she'd had about convincing herself this was a mere figment blinded out by red rage. The creature stopped cleaning its paws, looking towards the sky curiously.

"I wonder if she's a B-cup? Or is that just a push-up bra?"

_"That tears it!"_ In a heartbeat, Yuiko had the thing by the tail, yanking it up to her eye-level. It yelped in a mixture of pain and astonishment, meeting eyes with her in an expression that could only be described as bewildered. "I don't care if you _are_ just a figment, or whatever! But discussing my bust-size is _off-limits!_ For _anybody! Got it?"_

Even dangling upside-down in her grasp, the creature reacted submissively- paws curled into a defensive position and ears back. Its eyes never left hers, wide with a dumbfounded shock that began to dawn on its face.

"Waitaminit… You mean you can actually _see_ me?"

"Of course I can, fuzz ball! I'm hallucinating, aren't I?" Keeping its tail firmly in her grasp, Yuiko pushed herself off the ground, dusting off the majority of the dirt from the back side of her uniform skirt. "I fell down the mountain, got tossed about by the trees, hit my head on something, and now I'm imagining that I'm talking to a cat- rabbit- fox- er, dog…" She brought it an inch closer to her face, glaring accusingly. "What the heck are you, anyway?"

"I'm an ayakashi."

Yuiko blinked. "Who-for-what-now?"

"An ayakashi." The creature drolled. "I'm a spirit animal! Do you think you could let go of my tail? It isn't there for ornamentation, ya know! That really hurts!"

"Oh, sure- sorry…" Yuiko absently released the creature, watching as it righted itself in mid-air. Gazing back up at the high schooler with cautious eyes, the self-proclaimed "ayakashi" sat down directly in front of her, watching as she tried to rub away the pain in her backside.

"Looks like you really did a number on yourself."

"Yeah, well, you already said it, didn't you? I'm a klutz."

"That's what you get, for meandering about somebody else's shrine."

"What do you mean 'somebody else's'? This is my family's shrine!" Yuiko dropped a hand onto her hip, tweaking a lone eyebrow upwards at the creature. "Y'know, for a hallucination of mine, you'd think you'd know more about me."

The creature jumped to its paws, long ears sticking straight up in surprise. "Wait- are you saying you're of the Tominaga family?"

"That's right." She turned her back to the creature, meaning to start climbing back up the hill. "I'm Tominaga Yuiko- nice to meet you.

"Look, I'd love to stay and chat, but I gotta find my way back up to the shrine, sooo… I'm gonna stop hallucinating now. Ja mata ne."

The creature was frozen in place, staring after the girl as she snaked her hands into the tree boughs, hauling herself up the slope she had just fallen down. His ears lowered, and a pained expression seemed to cross his face.

_Yuiko…_

_"…Ne, ne! Onii-chan! Mite-mite!"_

_ "Oh, for… How did you get up in that tree? I've told you not to climb the zelkova!"_

_The small girl-child bubbled with laughter from the boughs of the sacred tree, flailing her arms in excitement. Despite his intended scolding, he cracked a faint smile._

"_Come on, let's get you down."_

_Strong arms scooped the four-year-old up, dark claws encircling her tiny waist with unusual care. The child squealed in delight, throwing her arms about his neck. "Onii-chan, daisuki!" _

_He stiffened for a moment, her words ringing in his ears. Relaxing under the soft squeeze of her hug, he used one arm to hold her slight weight, while a second, clawed hand dropped lightly onto her head, ruffling the feather-soft hair._

"_Honestly… You're such a handful, Yuiko…"_

The creature's ears dropped another notch- _this_ was little Yuiko? Trepidation-filled red eyes followed after her, the now-high-school-student yanking herself a little further up the slope with carefully placed hands and footing. Another painful reminder of how time passed his kind by, so quickly…

"…You're not gonna make it up, that way."

"I _fell_ this way! How else would I climb back up- _dyahh!"_ The ground crumbled away beneath her feet, and she lost her grip on the tree. Once again, Yuiko tumbled backwards down the slope. Thankfully, she didn't go very far, this time. Rather than let herself get tossed around on another unpleasant slide, she quickly jumped backwards, planting her feet a little bit further down. Of course, her footing still wasn't very good, and the bad angle of her landing caused her to tumble forward, her skirt flipping up onto her back.

"Blue candy-stripe, eh?"

Yuiko's hand slapped her skirt back into place, her face burning at the creature's chuckling comment. "Ahhh- dammit!" She spat, pushing herself upright to glare at it. "Well, fine! If you know a better way, I'm all ears!"

"Okay." Without pause, the self-proclaimed ayakashi spun on its heel, trotting easily through the trees parallel to the ground, rather than the slope. It stopped once to look back at her. "Well?"

"Uhh… Right." _I hadn't expected that…_ Picking herself up out of the dirt, Yuiko followed after the white animal, reluctance dragging her every step. Once he knew she was behind him, the creature never stopped again, and Yuiko was left staring after its long tail, as they walked.

"…Well, this is great." She muttered dismally to herself. "I get lost on my own damn mountain, and now I'm following a hallucination, back to my house. Juuuust wonderful…"

"I told you, I'm an ayakashi!"

"Yeah, I heard you the first time…" Yuiko scratched her head, pulling a twig out of her hair. "Isn't an ayakashi supposed to be the ghost of someone who died in a shipwreck, though? Wouldn't 'mononoke' be the correct term?"

"No, a mononoke is an angry spirit left behind by a person- you come from a family of shrine-keepers, and you don't know that?"

"Maybe not, but you don't look very drowned to me." She retorted irritably. "So I say you're a mononoke."

"You've seen too much anime!"

"Mononoke."

"Don't _call_ me that!"

Yuiko grinned behind the creature's back. For a hallucination, this was pretty funny. "Mononoke-chan!"

_"Chan?"_

"Why not? You are pretty cute, for being whatever you are."

"I'm _male!"_

She shrugged indifferently. "Like anyone can tell, with that high-pitched voice of yours… Come to think of it, though, why would I hallucinate a _male_ mononoke?"

The creature- or rather, _he_- growled irritably at the teasing high schooler, picking up his pace, and deliberately pulling ahead of her. Yuiko sped, as well, trying to keep pace. "Hey, wait! I was only teasing!-Ack!" Her sneaker got snagged on a root, nearly causing her to stumble, and letting her "guide" slip further ahead. "Wait up! Mononoke-saaan!"

"Don't call me that!" He called out over his shoulder once, and then disappeared into the brush.

Muttering a mild expletetive, Yuiko yanked her foot free, and dashed after him. "Hey, come on! I'm sorry! Mononoke-san- gah!" Half stumbling over the brush-line, Yuiko's feet connected with solid ground. She was back on the shrine steps, about half-way up. The mononoke had actually led her back to the shrine! She spun in place, eyes scanning so that she might express her gratitude to the small creature.

But of the mononoke, there was no sign.

~~~~~~~~~~Spacer~~~~~~~~~~

_"Ojii-chan, why is it nobody else plays with my friends?"_

_ Four-year-old Yuiko tugged at the light blue hakama her grandfather wore, her red-brown eyes sadly inquisitive. "I play with them all the time, but nobody believes they're there! Whenever I tell Tou-chan, he just gets angry at me."_

_ "Yuiko-chan…" He dropped an assuring hand on her head. "You mustn't let what your father says upset you. He can't see them, like we do, so he does not believe."_

_ "But you see them, don't you Ojii-chan?"_

_ "Of course I do." He laughed. "You and I have a very special gift, Yuiko-chan, that lets us see and speak to those spirits that are not of this world. It makes me very happy that you have this gift."_

_ "Really?"_

_ "Yes… But you must be careful, Yuiko-chan, because not all of these spirits will wish to be your friend. Some of them are dangerous, and very evil. You must promise me that you will be very careful about the spirits you play with."_

_ "I promise." Yuiko scrunched her little nose into a smile. "But I'm not worried. Because Onii-chan said he was here to protect us."_

_ "Onii-chan?"_

_ "Guren-nii. He's big and really strong- nobody can beat him!"_

_ "Yuiko-chan… Do you mean the spirit that lives in the zelkova tree? In the walled-off garden?"_

_ "Uh-huh! He plays with me, a lot."_

_ "Yuiko… You should not go near that spirit."_

_ "Why not?"_

_ "Because, Yuiko… That spirit is very old, and very powerful. He's dangerous, Yuiko-chan. And if you make him angry, he may hurt you."_

_ "No, he wouldn't!" Yuiko pouted defiantly. "Guren-nii always plays with me! He's kinda grumpy, but he's really nice!"_

_ "Yuiko-chan…"_

_ "No! Guren-nii is my friend! He's not bad!"_

"He's not bad…" Yuiko muttered sleepily, rubbing the sand out of her half-closed eyes. The old dream started to fade away- or had it been a dream? Some part of her could still feel the fabric of her grandfather's hakama, clenched in her tiny hands… or was that the futon blanket? Sunlight streamed in through the window shutters, telling her that it was already well-past her usual wake-up time. Then again, she'd stayed up pretty late after Kubo-jii left, trying to clean the stains out of her uniform. And it wasn't as if today was her first school day, so sleeping in a little was allowed.

Shuffling off the heavy blanket, Yuiko stretched her arms far above her head, yawning at the same time. She smacked her lips with distaste, feeling the fuzz along her teeth with her tongue. _What a hell of a first day back,_ her thoughts jumbled, _Falling asleep at the zelkova, falling down the mountainside- then whacking my head, and actually hallucinating that I was talking to a mononoke! I'm lucky I didn't crack my skull open! Well, at least it's done, now…_

"…Were you aware that you talk in your sleep?"

Red-rimmed eyes shot open, the high schooler looking as if she'd just come back from a night of hard partying. They scanned the room furiously, trying to zone in on the source of the familiar voice. There, sitting demurely at the end of her futon, was the white mononoke from yesterday.

"Pretty loudly, too." He continued, daintily licking one paw clean. "It sounded like you were talking to your grandfather, and you kept calling out for 'onii-chan', or something…" He dropped his paw back to the comforter, seemingly raising an eyebrow at her balking expression. "What?"

~~~~~~~~~~Spacer~~~~~~~~~~

One very loud scream, a bath, a tooth-brushing, and a change of clothes later, Yuiko now found herself kneeling at the breakfast table, eyeing the white creature happily slurping out of a bowl of miso soup across from her. She glared at it suspiciously, having barely touched her own breakfast- the steaming broth swirling in milky-green hues in her own bowl. How it managed to drink soup with no opposable thumbs was more than a little baffling, but given the state of her mind, just then, it seemed the least of her concerns.

"Finished yet?" She asked dryly, dropping the soup in favor of her rice, instead. She had a feeling she'd be needing something more filling.

"Yeah, thanks! It was good!" The creature lifted its head from the bowl, licking his chops clean. "It's been forever since I've had miso soup!"

"How is it you're even able to _eat?"_ She questioned warily. "Aren't you supposed to be a spirit, or something? Shouldn't that stuff just pass right through you?"

"Just because most people can't see me, doesn't mean I'm not there." He yawned, rolling onto his back and rubbing his now-full belly. "Spirits and demons have to eat, too, y'know. Why else do you think you're supposed to make us offerings?"

"But I thought you fed on spiritual energy, or something?"

"That's _evil_ spirits. They consume the souls and bodies of others, to sustain their own power- don't you know anything?"

"Well, excuse me for not knowing the vagaries of the spirit world. Now, then…" Shoveling the last of her rice into her mouth, Yuiko set her bowl and chopsticks gently aside. She took a long, calming breath, trying to absorb as much peace as she could- before slamming her palms onto the table, lifting herself off her knees, and causing most of the dishes to jump.

"What the _hell_ are you still doing, around here?" She demanded, leaning as far into the creature's face as the table would allow. "I thought you were just some sort of figment cooked up by my brain, after rolling down that hill! Now I wake up, and you're _still_ hanging around? Just how hard did I hit my head, anyway?"

"Still don't believe I'm real, eh?" The creature yawned, dropping its head onto crossed forepaws. "Well, I wouldn't worry. You'll get used to it. Besides, it's been a while since someone was able to see me- I'm kinda curious as to how you'll react when you see the _others._"

Yuiko stiffened. "Others?"

"You didn't think I was the only one, did you? This shrine is more than a thousand years old, it's _crawling_ with spirits and lesser demons."

She grimaced. "Great, so do I have to call on some sort of demon-pest control, or something? This is supposed to be a sacred shrine, after all."

"Hey, it's not like they're dangerous, or anything. Today's world just isn't very friendly towards spirit-beings. We're a part of nature, after all, so sky-scrapers don't exactly make the ideal homestead for us." He tilted his head back towards his rear claw, scratching behind one of his long ears. "That's why most of us live at these old temples and shrines- they're the only places with the energy to sustain us."

"So you're saying my house is a demon hostel. That's just faaaaan-tastic!" Sarcasm dripped from every word, her head dropping into her open hands. Exasperation was stamped onto her face, but one glance through her fingers at the fuzzy critter making himself comfortable on her dining table told her exactly how much he really cared about her situation.

"Fine!" She snapped, lifting herself to her feet, her socks making muffled stamps as she turned back out into the hall. "Listen, I've got a lot of stuff I need to get done around here, to get settled, so could you at least try not to get underfoot? Ya over-sized rat."

"Hey!" His head shot up in indignation. "I told you! I'm an ayakashi!"

"Great!" She stuck her head back just inside the dining room for a last jab. "So you're a _drowned_ rat."

~~~~~~~~~~Spacer~~~~~~~~~~

"…Hey."

Yuiko glanced back with slitted eyes, her hand tapping the wicker stick rhythmically against the futon she was airing out. She gone into one of guest bedrooms, and pulled out a new set, checking the blankets and pillows to be certain they were clean. Kubo-jii and his family had done an immaculate job of cleaning up the old house, but even so, it never hurt to try and beat out a few extra dust motes, just in case.

"Hey, what?" She offered dully, speaking to the spirit seated on the walkway, behind her. She still hadn't abandoned the idea that he was a hallucination, but she had given up on trying to ignore him. Such a thing was impossible, with a figment as vocal as he was.

"Isn't it time to start lunch? It's already past noon."

"Why? So you can tell me what I'm doing wrong, again?"

"You weren't doing _everything_ wrong." The creature curled itself back onto its paws. "Just most of it." Yuiko rolled her eyes.

Following breakfast, that morning, the little "spirit" had accompanied Yuiko during her chores- offering glib commentary all along the way. When she was doing the dishes from breakfast, he chided her for using too much soap. When she was moving an old dresser from one of the guest rooms to hers, he pointed out that she was scratching the floor. And when she tried to put away her clean clothes from her suitcase, he decided that it was a good place to take a nap- she spent thirty minutes removing all the white hairs with a lint roller.

Of course, how a hallucination could shed was something she preferred not to think about.

"Well?"

Hands dropped onto her jeans, the high schooler now giving the spirit her full attention. "Well, what?"

"Are you going to make lunch, or not?"

A groan escaped her lips, as she pinched the bridge of her nose, trying to stave off the oncoming headache. "What-" she asked imperiously, pointing to an object hanging from the sliding door in her room. "-is that?"

"Huh? Your uniform, isn't it?"

"Correct." She leaned forward, hovering dangerously above the spirit with accusing eyes. "The same uniform I ruined yesterday, when _somebody_ startled me into rolling down the hill."

His ears dropped back, and he even managed to smile sheepishly. "Hey, I did apologize."

"You did." Yuiko conceded, leaning back a little bit and relieving him from her blame. "However, now my uniform is filthy- and I start school tomorrow." She looked around with exaggeration. "Now, where in this house do you see a washer and dryer?"

"It doesn't have one."

"Exactly." She loomed in again, making him draw back nervously. "So that means that now, I have to go to town, to wash my uniform. Which means I have to go back down those steps, take the train to Kurama village, and find a laundromat. Not only that, but I also need to buy groceries enough to last me for a couple weeks. Now-

"Where in all this do you imagine I'll have time to make lunch, hmmmm?"

"Eh-heh… I see your point…" He squeaked.

Yuiko smiled as she leaned in close- too sweetly. "Good! I'm glad we understand each other, on this. Hallucination-san."

The creature rolled his eyes. "How many times do I have to tell you- I'm not a figment of your imagination- I'm an ayakashi! And I'm just as real as you are!"

"Right." Yuiko folded her arms, eyebrow raised, as sarcasm dripped from her voice. "And I'm actually a powerful miko, returned to the shrine to fight against evil spirits. Isn't that right, Mononoke-chan?"

"I told you not to call me that!"

Yuiko concealed her smirk beneath her fingers. That barb had been deliberate, knowing how it affected him. She had been building up a sour mood, all morning, and a good ruffling was just what she needed- even if her rival was just a figment. "Aww, but you're just so cute! Mononoke-kun!"

"Hmph! So it's '-kun', now?" He retorted irritably, snorting at her.

"You don't like it? Ooh, I know!" She clapped her hands dramatically, as if coming upon a great discovery. "How about I call you 'Mokkun'!"

"!... What… did you call me?"

"_Mokkun! Mokkun! Mokkun the mononoke, and that's final!"_

"_Don't you think you could've transformed a little sooner, Mokkun?"_

"_No! If you were to die in a place like this- I'd never forgive you!"_

"_It's all right if you don't remember… Because loosing you is something I couldn't bare…"_

"_Heh, I can't hide anything from you, can I, Mokkun?"_

"Ah, hey… You all right?"

Yuiko didn't know what to make of his reaction. When bestowing him with his nickname, she had expected him to retort in the usual fashion- snapping irritably with a comeback. But not this… this wide-eyed stare, as if he'd suddenly turned to stone. She wasn't certain, but she saw what she thought looked like… agony in his crimson gaze…

"Hey… Say something- Mokkun!"

"_Don't call me that!"_ His response actually made her fall back a step. As many times as he'd spoken those words, she'd never heard such… such _violence_ in his tone. His lip curled upwards in a snarl, baring his fangs in what she could only call hatred. "Don't you _dare_ call me that! What gives you the right?"

Yuiko's shoulders bunched, her face screwing up with indignation. "Hey… You don't have to be so upset about it. If you don't like it, just say so! It's not as if you've told me you're real name- oh, but wait! You don't _have_ a real name! Because you're just a figment!"

"As if I'd ever entrust my name to such an ignorant girl- go to town by yourself!"

If it were possible for such small paws to stomp, then they surely did. The small, white ayakashi launched itself into the forest beyond, leaving Yuiko, baffled and angry, alone.

~~~~~~~~~~Spacer~~~~~~~~~~

It bothered her. All the way to Kurama village, at the Laundromat, the grocery store, and on the train ride back. The memory of the spirit's quivering, crimson eyes never left her, and the words of his departure stung more than a little. Had giving him a nickname like that really have offended him so much?

_What am I so upset about?_ She stomped her way up the shrine steps, as if she could mash her feelings of concern beneath her feat. _I mean, I finally got rid of him, didn't I? And now, I shouldn't be having any more problems- with hallucinations, ghosts, or spirits!_

_…So, why does it bother me so much, that I might have hurt his feelings?_

The angry pace she had previously set slowed, her footfalls coming softer. Her eyes dragged the ground, watching her feet with a contemplation that said her focus was elsewhere. It was fully in her rights, to be angry with- or even terrified of the spirit. But beyond her initial panic of her fall yesterday, fear hadn't once entered her mind. She'd been more scared of a potential concussion than of her so-called hallucination. What's more, he had safely guided her back to the shrine, when she had asked. Even with all his infuriating taunts and jibes, the spirit's company had kept her mind so occupied, that she'd scarcely had time to dwell on any thoughts of the past- something she was certain would've weighed down on her incessantly, after returning to her family's shrine.

In fact, with him around, even her loneliness at her family's absence seemed to have lessened… Would a hallucination really have been able to do something like that? Her slowing steps came to a complete halt.

"I guess… maybe he really is a spirit?"

Once the words were out, she was surprised to find how… comfortable she was with that. She supposed she should've been floored by the knowledge- any ordinary person would be. They would've been panicked, or elated, terrified or ecstatic. It was an exciting thing, to find that you could see spirits and demons, something that should've been life-altering for anyone. But to Yuiko, it barely registered as odd- just another faucet of her everyday life. She should've been disturbed by it, but if anything, it came as more of a relief.

_You have a very special gift, Yuiko-chan…_

Her grandfather's words in her dream, how familiar they had sounded, and she pondered not for the last time if a dream was all it had been. Any number of memories crowded her mind, recounts of playing with her "friends" by the zelkova tree. Before her father's argument with her grandfather, she remembered playing with them almost every day. But after moving to Tokyo, she had left those memories behind. Her father never liked to hear about her friends, and so more and more, she pushed her thoughts of them away. It wasn't that she'd forgotten, just that she didn't let herself think of it, since it angered her father so much. And even after he was gone, that tendency had stayed with her.

At least, until she'd tumbled head-first down Mount Kurama into an encounter with a certain, obnoxious, and furry little spirit…

_Maybe I shouldn't have been so familiar with him…_ Her thoughts echoed remorsefully, resuming her steady climb of the shrine stairs. It was strange, how hollow everything felt, now. Even her footsteps seemed to echo too loudly in her ears, the wind rustling through the mountain forest reminding her too much of something lurking in wait.

"Chotto matte… It's not windy, today, so why am I hearing leaves rustle?"

She stopped again, her eyes scanning for the source of the sounds within the forest brush. Was it an animal, or something? At the edge of the stairs, she could see its shadow shuffling behind the trees. There! A part of it was sticking out- a clawed hand, ochre in color. And another one, to the right- something sluggish, and purple-looking. The more she searched, the more she found… and the more she was stared back at.

_Those… aren't animals…_ Yuiko quivered, finding herself under the gaze of countless creatures. Some possessed claws and fangs, others horns. Some had only one eye, while others had as many as eight. She took another step up towards the shrine, anxiety pounding through her veins. The rustling she had heard had in fact been their whispering, and it grated on her ears like a mantra.

_She sees us… She can see us! Is she a priestess? She lives in the shrine, she must be. And she can see us, yes…_

_ You can see us…_

"Ahhh, yeah…" A cold sweat was breaking out along her skin, as she took another step upwards. _Spirits..._ "Can I… help you guys?"

The whispers increased, and they surged forward en masse. Yuiko found herself filled with a sudden desire to flee up the stairs as quickly as she possibly could…

~~~~~~~~~~Spacer~~~~~~~~~~

In the branches of the zelkova tree, he had curled himself into a ball, trying to will himself to sleep. But rest stubbornly eluded him, fended away by the name bouncing itself around in his thoughts.

Mokkun. Yuiko had called him Mokkun.

_There's no way!_ He curled himself even tighter, claws gnashing at the wood underneath him. Yuiko couldn't possibly have known that name. The only one to ever refer to him as Mokkun was Masahiro- and only Masahiro, who had given him that name, who had risked everything to purge him of his sins. Even if she had called him that on a whim, for her to use the exact same name Masahiro had was unthinkable…

And now, she knew both his names.

…But this was not the same Yuiko that used to climb into the zelkova garden, and pat his cheeks affectionately. That Yuiko had moved away with the rest of her family, long ago. And returning in her place was a stranger, a young woman who had completely forgotten about her second sight. And while she shared many similarities with the child of fourteen years ago, the changes she had endured, growing up away from the shrine, had clearly warped her personality.

"…And she used to be such a cute kid, too." He muttered bitterly.

Of course, it wasn't entirely her fault, he knew. Yuiko had only been a child of four, when her family had left the shrine, he could hardly expect her to remember things from such a young age. But to forget that she could see spirits? Where had she been living, to so completely push such a thing from her mind? Even in modern cities, demons still existed, so it was impossible to think that she hadn't seen even _one_ since that time. And besides that… there was something else wrong with her. The Yuiko he remembered was bright and energetic, like a ball of sunshine. But when he first glimpsed her walking up the shrine steps, the feeling he got from her was hollow, as if a portion of her spirit had been carved away. It was so alien, that he failed to recognize her. The only time she started to resemble her former self was when he teased her, and that was what had led to her calling him "Mokkun".

So… was it really her fault, then? Hearing the name come from someone- anyone- other than Masahiro had been a jolt to his system. Especially since it was a name that he hadn't heard spoken in almost a thousand years. Like a wound that had never properly healed, it had dredged up centuries of old feelings he'd long-since thought buried away. Confusion burned him until his vision blurred, twisting his insides with very real pain. And Yuiko, he didn't have any right to be upset with her about it. There was no possible way she could've known the name Masahiro had given him, or the effect it would have on him. And he'd responded to her with such hostility, swearing he'd never tell her his true name. He scoffed at his own hypocrisy- he didn't have to tell Yuiko his real name- because she already knew it. He had already told her, long ago, at their very first meeting at the zelkova tree. And unthinkably enough, she still remembered, somewhere, deep in her memory. She'd proven that the night before, when she'd mumbled it in her sleep.

And oddly enough, hearing her say "Guren-nii" again had made him rather happy…

"_Eeeyyaaaaaahhhh!"_

His long ears shot upwards at the familiar scream, tail exploding in a frenzy of concern. Two quick strides, and he leapt atop the roof, his clawed feet skittering over stone tiles. _Dammit… dammit! I shouldn't have left her alone, like that!_ Berating himself over every breath, the mark on his forehead burned with fiery light. All his warped confusion had vanished, in the sound of her terror. Long, swift strides brought him to the shrine's front, hind legs launching him over the torii gate marking the entrance. Her scent floated to his nostrils- she was close! Only just ahead- whatever had attacked her had dared to do so within the shrine's boundaries! He could hear her struggling, and the sound of demonic whispers. Two more leaps would bring him to the edge of the stairs.

_"Daijoobu ka na? Yui…_ko?"

His panicked sprint came to a rather less-than-glorified halt, at the top of the stairs, a sizable sweat drop forming alongside of his head. He could see her, now, sprawled over the top-most steps, groceries scattered in a semi-circle pattern around her. The bags had apparently burst open, when she'd fallen, and though thankfully must of the items stayed relatively close, there were at least one or two things that had kept rolling down. Yuiko herself seemed none the worse for wear- maybe some scraped knees. Oh sure, she was crying- her eyes were dewy with large tears and unreasonable panic- but that just made his sweat drop grow bigger. After all, it was hard to take her terror seriously, when a bunch of lesser demons were snuggling on her shoulders.

"Mokkun… Why are these things chasing meeee?" She pleaded, sounding like a child that had just broken their favorite toy. The mononoke face-vaulted into the stone walk-way.

"That's just… pathetic." He grumbled, feeling a headache coming on. Although, in her defense, there _were_ a lot of them. But then again, the worst they seemed to be doing was playing on her head. Some of them were bouncing up and down excitedly, keeping her perfectly encircled. "Yuiko… What the hell are you doing?"

"It's not like it was my idea!" She protested, snuffling. "I was just coming back home with the groceries, minding my own business, when these guys popped out of nowhere, and _jumped_ me! What the hell do they want with me, anyways? _And will you stop jumping on my god-damn head?"_

The lesser demons recoiled in terror of Yuiko's wrath, the senior lifting to her feet, sending those atop her shoulders and skull flying. Once again, he sweat dropped- how could this girl be mewling like a kitten one minute, and then roaring like a lion the next? He shook his head.

"Okay, you guys, what's the deal? Why are you chasing Yuiko?"

A three-eyed lizard bashfully stepped forward. "Well, isn't she the new miko of Hotaru shrine?" Yuiko exchanged confused looks with Mokkun.

"Yeah, we came to pay our respects to the miko!"

"After the old priest died, there wasn't anyone to tend to the shrine, anymore!"

"Without the priest to protect this place, it became scary!"

"But now, the miko's here!"

"She'll protect us!"

"Yeah, yeah!"

"Whoa, whoa, hold on a second!" Yuiko threw up her hands defensively- they were getting excited again. "Look, I might be a Tominaga, but I'm not a miko! I'm just the shrine's care-taker, now, that's all!"

"But, you can see us, can't you?"

"Well, yeah, that's true, but…"

"Then you possess the power! You _must_ be the new priestess!"

"Yeah, yeah!"

_"Settle down, would ya?"_

Quite surprisingly, when Mokkun spoke, they all fell obediently silent, almost holding their breath. Some of them looked downright scared of the little creature, something which did not go unnoticed by Yuiko. Grumbling, he dropped his haunches onto the steps, glaring his irritation at each spirit in turn. "Look, I know you're excited and all, but Yuiko's right- just possessing the second sight doesn't make her a miko. She's here to care for the shrine, and that's all.

"If you're really that frightened, then just don't leave the shrine's vicinity. This place is protected by a spirit barrier, after all, so nothing evil should be able to get through." He glanced to Yuiko. "This all right with you?"

"Ah… H-hai." She nodded dumbly, before bowing in apology to the gathered spirits. "I apologize for screaming. You all appeared so suddenly, that you startled me, and well... I'm sorry that I wasn't what you were hoping for."

Silence, Yuiko glance up nervously, why weren't they responding? But, for some reason, the lesser demons were staring at her with awe. In unison, they bowed together.

"We are also very sorry for scaring you, miko-san. As an apology, we will help you collect your things."

"Er, hey, wait… I told you, I'm not a miko…"

Surprisingly, the little creatures turned out to be very helpful. The gathered up all of Yuiko's dropped groceries- even those that had rolled down to the bottom of the stairs- and helped pack them back away into the grocery bags. They bowed to her again, before bidding her good-bye. To her own surprise, Yuiko actually felt herself waving them off. But while she was nothing short of baffled, the white mononoke beside watched it all with an odd sense of satisfaction.

Alone together again, an uncomfortable silence stretched out between the two of them. Yuiko's eyes met nervously with the slitted crimson orbs of the spirit, he stared dully back. Was he still angry? But then, why had he come to help her? The eighteen-year-old fidgeted nervously. He, however, was not so patient.

"Ja na."

"Ah! Ch-chotto matte!" She half-jumped after him, causing him to turn around and glare back balefully.

"Nani? You got something more you wanna 'hallucinate'?"

"N-no! I just…" Yuiko let out a sigh, easing the tension out of her body. As she had done with the lesser demons, she bent sharply in a bow, dipping her head until all she saw was the stone under her feet. "I'm sorry… really, I… I didn't mean to offend you, this morning."

His ears perked up, confused.

"I know that you're not really a hallucination, or anything. It's just that I… it's been a really long time since I've seen a spirit…" Yuiko's voice dropped lower, stained with regret. "No, that's not right, either…"

Hands that had been clenched white at her sides now folded demurely before her, her back slowly straightening. But never once did her eyes leave the ground, and her voice remained soft. "When I was a kid, I used to see spirits all the time. Ghosts and demons- I was always playing with them, so I was never afraid of them. I hadn't started school yet, so they were my only friends.

"My grandfather, the previous priest, he could see them too. He wanted to make me the shrine's successor- to train me as a priestess. But my father… My father disagreed. You see, unlike my grandfather and I, he couldn't see spirits. And when he was young, my grandmother fell ill. My grandfather insisted it was the work of demons, and he never took her to see the doctor… She died, and my father blamed my grandpa's superstitions for it. So, when grandpa brought up the possibility of me taking over the shrine, he was against it.

"They argued about it, a lot… And Dad often threatened to leave the shrine. But mom was already pretty well along, with my baby brother, so moving before he was born was out of the question. But, once Yuichi was born, well… It was pretty much like he had planned it. He waited until my mother was well enough to leave the hospital, then packed up all of us, and just… left. He never told grandpa we were leaving, or where we were going… He didn't tell anyone.

"When we settled down in Tokyo, I was really lonely. I missed all my friends, but when I cried about it to my father, he'd just get angry, and tell me that I was too old to have imaginary friends, any more. Even when I met new spirits, any time I tried to talk to them, he'd just get mad… Pretty soon, I just started ignoring them. I pretended they weren't there, so my father wouldn't get angry at me, and before long, I… I just stopped noticing. It wasn't that I didn't see them, I just… didn't care to.

"But you… When I met you, back in the forest… It was kinda like having a bucket of ice water dumped on me while sleeping. My first instinct was to ignore you, or brush you aside as something else- something explainable. But you wouldn't let me. You were in my face so much that I had no choice but to acknowledge you. But subconsciously, I just couldn't accept that. I was still scared of my father, and so I tried to drive you away, but…

"I'm sorry, I never meant to hurt your feelings."

_So, that was it…_ He gazed at her with wide, crimson eyes, as if finally seeing her for the first time. There was no doubt about it, _this_ was the Yuiko he remembered. The Yuiko who crawled beneath the floorboards to see him, every time her father and grandfather had argued, whose frightened tears only he had been able to wipe away. And just then, he was tempted to do the same. But he was a coward, after all, and remained in his mononoke form, averting his eyes with shame.

"…I'm sorry too." He muttered, turning his back so as to avoid her gaze. "This wasn't… the first time someone had called me 'Mokkun'… A long time ago, somebody else gave me that name- someone I cared for, very much. And when that person died, I never thought I'd hear another living being speak it again… But, then, you said it… And, I was confused. Part of me was really happy to hear it again, but mostly… Mostly, it just scared me. I mean, how could you possibly know _that_ name? There's no way you could've just figured it out on your own, it was too much of a coincidence…"

Something shadowed him from above, making him look up with a start. Yuiko's hand dropped, causing him to flinch, as if expecting some sort of reprimanding smack… But instead, there was warmth. Fingers scratched gently behind his long ears, and Yuiko smiled at him genuinely, again reminding him of the girl-child he'd met so many years ago.

"So, then… is there something else I can call you?" She asked, withdrawing her hand.

"…Mokkun's fine." He muttered, turning his gaze from hers. Damn it all, if he hadn't actually been _enjoying_ her attention. "Just… don't expect me to get used to it, too quickly.

"Right." She laughed, and he was suddenly quite glad for his thick fur coat. She scooped up the grocery bags from the stairs. "Ne, Mokkun?"

"…Yeah?" Came the grouchy response.

"How'd you like to join me for dinner? I'm making shabu-shabu."

His long ears perked up, eyes following after her silhouette as she sauntered back towards the house. Smiling behind her back, small, furry paws lifted themselves from the ground, falling into step beside her.

"What the heck's shabu-shabu?"


	4. Chapter 3: Family

_**Shoujo Onmyoji~ **_

A Fanfiction by Miyuki

Based upon "Shonen Onmyoji"

Foreword: I do not own Shounen Onmyouji or its characters all rights belong to the original owners. This is merely a fan fiction for the purpose of fun and entertainment.

_Chapter 3: Family_

…The wind which blew through the old imperial palace was unusually cold, that night- especially for summer. In the gardens, a guard wandered through on patrol, shivering in his uniform, and wishing not for the last time that he'd worn a heavier coat.

But it wasn't just the chill air that had him shaking. Something felt immensely wrong, that night, and he caught himself nervously twitching his flashlight in every direction, jumping at the tiniest sound. Kyoto Gosho was an ancient complex, immense in size as well as years. Centuries of conflict surrounded it, numerous battles taking place at its gates. It was impossible not to think of ghosts in this place, even for a normally cool-headed and logical-thinking man, like him. And on a night like this, when a place usually so alive with the sounds of birds and crickets singing was so ominously quiet, even the most composed and dedicated man would lose his calm.

When the earth seemed to be throbbing beneath his very feet.

…Something was pulsing, underground, deep below the foundations of Kyoto Gosho. Even those ancient wells that had supplied it with water since oldest times did not reach so far into the earth, and their lines trembled. In tunnels and caves no longer reachable to mortal men, an evil heartbeat resounded, straining against the bonds that held it. It ebbed and flowed darkness, without shape or form. Only a single, ceaseless desire, in dancing madness…

It was here, that Abe no Masahiro had sealed him.

_Shuten'Doji…_ It spoke with a voice that was not there. Any who might have been capable of hearing that tainted voice would've been instantly corrupted, their mind consumed by the miasma's corroding influence.

In deepest darkness, two glowing eyes appeared. Their color the glittering of pale green, while silver sheen reflected from a pair of wickedly curved horns and large fangs.

_Shuten'Doji…_ The voice-that-was-not purred again. _You have failed me, Shuten'Doji…_

"What do you mean, my master?" A thick and gravelly voice responded, belonging to something immense, and with no small amount of fear. "Have I not done all you have asked of me? Slain those who would oppose you, and brought you sacrifices to increase your power? Then how could I have possibly failed you?"

_Shuten'Doji…_ The darkness gave a hissing caress. _They are not all dead, Shuten'Doji… One still lives…_

"Who lives, my master?" The creature called Shuten'Doji slavered eagerly, eyes winking insanity. "Tell me their identity, and I shall crush any who might stand against you! I shall drink of their blood, and give you their flesh, as a sacrifice!"

Shuten'Doji's taloned fingers dug into the stone of the earth, crushing the ageless rocks to sand. It awaited its master's response gleefully, delighted to serve him by the slaughtering of his enemies.

_…Abe…_

"Abe?" The demon roared, the caverns shaking with his rage. "Do you mean that a survivor of that cursed bloodline still lives? Then _he_ is the one who failed you, master- not I! That pathetic wretch you resurrected to take vengeance upon them! But it is of no matter- tell me, my master! Tell me where I may find this accursed descendant of your enemy, and I shall deliver unto you their _head!"_

Pale, unholy light shuddered through the pulsing darkness, taking on a mirror's sheen. Reflected in its depths was the face of a young woman, sleeping. She twisted and moaned, cold sweat beading on her forehead. Shuten'Doji reached up a single, terrible claw, shattering the image before him.

"So, she is _here!_ Within the city of Kyoto!" Wicked laughter rumbled from his throat. "Oh, how that wretch will regret his mistake! But now, his folly is my victory! _I_ shall be the one to put an end to the line of Abe no Seimei! That damned onmyouji that divined my presence for Minamoto no Yorimitsu, allowing for him to defeat me! I, Shuten'Doji, _King of Ogres!"_

~~~~~~~~~~Spacer~~~~~~~~~~

"Mmm… K-kaa-san… Yuichi…"

Mokkun blinked open sand-filled eyes, awakened by the fitful tossings of his young ward. Beside him, eighteen-year-old Tominaga Yuiko, now the care-taker of Hotaru shrine, muttered nonsensically, thrashing beneath the blanket of her futon. Wind rattled against the window of her room, howling with a lonesome voice. If Yuiko speaking in her sleep hadn't awoken him, then that certainly would have. There was an evil aura, in the wind, tonight…

"Tou-san… D-don't! I'm sorry… sorry…" Tears spilled out of her tightly pinched eyes, giving the spirit a pang of sorrow. For not the first time, he wondered what exactly had become of Yuiko's family, and why the girl had moved back to Hotaru shrine, alone. Softly, he brushed his tail across her face. The tears she had been crying, and the hair that had been plastered against her pale skin were both gently swept aside. Beneath that soft touch, Yuiko calmed, her nightmare banished. Her thrashing ceased, and her face relaxed, her breathing returning to a steadier pace. Mokkun nodded to himself in satisfaction, padding closer and curling up beside her on the futon, keeping his tail lightly tickling against her cheek. Sparing a last, suspicious glance at the rattling windows, he dropped his head back down onto his delicately crossed paws.

_Sleep well, Yuiko…_

~~~~~~~~~~Spacer~~~~~~~~~~

_"Shit-shit-shit! I am so frickin' LATE!"_

Several hours later, Mokkun once again found himself being rudely awakened- by being tossed half-way across the room by a very panicked Yuiko. Thankfully, she had thrown the futon covers with him, so those managed to soften the blow a bit, when his back slammed into the wall, but he found himself buried under them, by the time he connected with the floor. Scratching and snarling his way through the blankets, he hissed venomously at the girl scrambling out of bed.

"What the _hell?_ Yuiko, what was that for?"

But Yuiko had already darted out the sliding doors, to the bath down the hall, taking absolutely no notice of the mononoke, whatsoever. "What's gotten into her, this morning?" He grumbled, digging his way free of the futon, and shaking out his fur, before settling down to engage in vigorous grooming. Smoothing out his fur with his tongue, his red eyes glanced upwards to the uniform hanging from her closet door.

_Oh, yeah. She starts school, today…_

Of course, Yuiko still didn't know how she had forgotten to set her alarm clock, the night before. She didn't let it get to her, though, devoting all her energy to catching the morning train. Living as far away from the city proper as she did, it wasn't something she could afford to miss, so within record time, she was bathed, groomed, and dressed (after kicking Mokkun out into the hall, he had said he was male, after all). Leaving her just enough time to cram a piece of toast into her mouth and snatch her satchel, before dashing down the front steps.

Mokkun watched after her with a flustered expression, shaking his head and muttering. "There is no way _that_ girl is Masahiro's successor…"

_"Mou…!"_ Yuiko groaned, long hours of athletic practice being the only thing keeping her breathing under control. "Why is it these old shrines always have to be built on top of mountains, 'n stuff? Couldn't they have built it somewhere at the _bottom_ of the hill, _instead?"_

Not that she expected anyone to answer her, of course.

Despite her high-speed sprinting, Yuiko couldn't help glancing at the woods around her as she ran. Of the lesser demons that had followed her yesterday, there seemed to be no sign- it made her feel a little disappointed, almost. After all, some of them had been surprisingly cute, and it had been really nice of them to help her pick up her groceries. Of course, she could still have lived without the pouncing and jumping on her back, but still…

The train for the Keifuku Eizan Railway picked up closest at Kibuneguchi, where the Kurama and Kibune rivers joined together. Following the Kurama River took you to the second train stop and Kurama village, and from there you could follow the path up to the Yuki and Kibune shrines, as well as the two Buddhist temples, Kuramadera and Okunoin Maoden. Taking the train south took you into Kyoto proper- which was where Yuiko was headed for, now. However, the trains only ran twice every hour- which didn't necessarily mean once every half hour. So if she missed the train that ran before seven thirty, there was a good chance she wouldn't be getting to school on time, at all.

The train was at the platform, the announcer already calling for those last passengers to stand clear of the doorway. Yuiko lunged for the closest doors, slipping through just as they started to close- almost. Her satchel got stuck in the doors, and she had to yank it in after herself. It wasn't particularly crowded, for the morning- that was odd. In Tokyo, trains this time of day were usually packed with businessmen and women, hurrying to work. Maybe it was because she lived in such a rural section of Kyoto? Whatever the reason, she was grateful- it meant that there were plenty of open seats, and she wouldn't have to stand, or guard her skirt against perverts. She dropped into the white-cushioned bench with a sigh of relief, half-collapsing against the window.

"So? Where we headed?"

"Huh?" She gave a tired response to Mokkun, the mononoke vigorously cleaning his paws in the seat beside her. It took her a moment to process that information, before she was sitting up, board-stiff, and glaring accusingly at the spirit in question. "What the heck're _you_ doing here?"

Mokkun's ears dropped. "You may wanna keep your voice down, ya know." He sighed, glancing leerily at the other passengers. Just because _she_ could see and speak to him didn't mean _they_ could. And from their perspective, she'd just shouted at an empty seat. Yuiko flushed with embarrassment, pulling her satchel up in front of her red face, in hopes that it would somehow make her turn invisible.

This was going to be a long day…

~~~~~~~~~~Spacer~~~~~~~~~~

By some measure of good fortune, Yuiko had still gotten to school before the gate closed. Left alone in the waiting room, her hands fidgeted nervously in her lap- her anxiety mostly due to the white mononoke meandering about the room.

"Ooh, hey look!" Mokkun hopped atop the windowsill, his long tail twitching with excitement. "They've got a swimming pool! And there's the track field, and- is that a field for that western futtobooru game? Now there's something I don't get- explain to me how it's fun to bash each other's brains in over a pointy-ended, oval-shaped ball?"

"Would you stop wandering around?" She hissed in a lower tone of voice, not caring to repeat this morning's incident on the train. True, they were alone in the waiting room, but the teacher's offices were just next door.

"Stop you're worrying! It's not like anyone else can see or hear me." One leap brought him from the sill to the couch, and he curled his long tail around his haunches as he sat beside Yuiko. "Okay, so explain this to me- weren't you already a senior, at your school in Tokyo?"

"Yeah."

"So why are you repeating the same year? Haven't you already taken your college entrance exams?"

"No, I haven't." Yuiko's shoulders visibly drooped. "About half-way through the school year, I stopped going… I wound up missing a lot, and in the end, I couldn't even take my final exams, I was so preoccupied with the investigation."

His ears twikked in curiosity. "Investigation? What investigation?"

"Anyways, I wound up missing so much, that it was easier just retaking my final year. And since I was moving to Kyoto, anyways…" Mokkun didn't miss her deliberate avoidance of the question, further fueling his concerns about Tokyo. Just what had happened there? And why didn't Yuiko move back with her entire family? What could've become of them, to make her call out for them in her dreams, so often? He wanted to ask her, but there was no time- the teacher had arrived.

"Ohayoo-gozaimasu. You are Tominaga-san, correct?" She was a woman in her late-thirties, about mid-sized and well-dressed in a professional blouse and long skirt. Yuiko stiffened naturally- bowing with the respect a teacher expected of a student.

"Hai. I'm Tominaga Yuiko."

"What a pretty girl you are." The woman smiled warmly. "My name is Serizawa Tsubame, and I'll be your new homeroom teacher."

"A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Serizawa-sensei."

"Well, then- why don't you follow me to your new classroom, and I'll give you a bit of a tour along the way?"

Yuiko collected her satchel, falling in line behind the teacher obediently, and Mokkun followed her. His ears went flat with suspicion, though, as he leered up at Yuiko, playing the part of a good student. Either Tokyo schools had excellent discipline, or Yuiko was a really good actress.

"The school building is divided up into three levels." Serizawa continued. "With a separate building for clubs and extra-curricular activities. I understand you were part of the kempo team, at your old school?"

"Yes, sensei. However, I don't think I'll be joining any clubs this year."

"I understand- you're living by yourself now, after all. You have your own priorities."

Not even five sentences into the conversation, and he was already getting bored with it. Mokkun stifled a yawn, drowning out the rest of Serizawa-sensei's explanation of the school in favor of looking around. Bland hallways led to bland rooms, and more locker-lined hallways. Students mingled within their respective classrooms, chattering idly away, while waiting for their teacher to arrive. Each wore a uniform similar to Yuiko's- girls wore a white top with a long black tie, and a red-and-black plaid skirt. Boys instead wore black slacks, and the red blazer was optional for either. All had exchanged their shoes for the rubber-bottomed slip-covers, instead. It at least _appeared_ like any other school… but his sharp red eyes caught a glimpse of something watching from the corner, and couldn't help but grin.

"Oi, Yuiko." He drew her attention away from the teacher, guiding her towards the same line of sight with a nod. The thing he pointed out almost made her groan aloud. Lesser demons.

"Even here?" She spoke under her breath, too softly for the teacher to catch. Mokkun wasn't caught under any such concerns.

"I told you, they were everywhere." He chuckled. "Relax, it's not like they're hurting anything- they're just harmless spirits."

"And here we are! Your new homeroom: class 1-B!" Serizawa announced with a flourish, before noticing that Yuiko's attention was a bit divided. "Don't worry, dear. The other students here are very friendly and helpful- I'm sure you'll get along just fine."

"Eh?" Yuiko jumped, dragging her eyes away from the spirits watching her, and ignoring Mokkun's obviously chortling. She bowed, hoping to hide her embarrassment and scratching the back of her head. "Ah-hah… Yes, thank you, sensei."

"Just wait here, for a moment." Serizawa-sensei smiled. "You can come in, when I call for you."

"Hai, sensei."

Leaving her with another smile, Serizawa-sensei slid open the door to her classroom, urging the other students to take their seats. "Everyone, we have a new student joining us today. Tominaga-san?"

Taking a breath to ease her worries, Yuiko stepped into the classroom. Taking up the chalk, she scratched her name onto the board for all to see, ignoring the cold sweat on the back of her neck. She didn't like the feeling of being under everyone's scrutiny, knowing that all their eyes were on her. Mokkun saw it, as well, and leapt atop her shoulders in one motion. Feeling the mononoke there, she went stiff, nearly dropping the chalk, but when she turned her irritated gaze at the white spirit, she felt the reassuring brush of his tail, tickling her cheek.

"Stop being so nervous- it's just a classroom."

Yuiko sighed- he was right. Setting the chalk back down, she turned to face the class. "My name is Tominaga Yuiko- age eighteen. I come from the Ueno district of Tokyo. My blood-type is AB negative, and my sign is Libra."

"Was it really necessary to say all that?" Mokkun looked to Yuiko with a sweat drop. Her only answer was to shrug.

"All right, do we have any other questions for Tominaga-san?" Serizawa-sensei looked about curiously. It was as if the room had suddenly become more crowded- all the other students were leaning forward, their hands raised curiously.

"Where in Kyoto do you live, now?"

"Do you like sports?"

"What sort of clubs were you in, back in Tokyo?"

"What about your family? Any siblings?"

"What's the shopping like in Harajuku? I hear that girls dress up all over that place!"

Mokkun recoiled on Yuiko's shoulder, his fur bristling as if they were being assaulted. The students weren't hostile, but he felt decidedly like a rodent circled by vultures, waiting to be devoured. Yuiko took it all stoically.

"To answer your questions- I live at Hotaru-jinja, on Mount Kurama, where my family has acted as caretakers for generations. In sports, I like volleyball and swimming, and I was in the Kempo club at my last school. Harajuku's not all it's cracked up to be, unless you like cosplay. And as for my family," She leveled the entire class under her gaze, her red-brown eyes gleaming. "-I'll thank you not to ask."

The finality in her tone devoured any doubts that she was done answering questions.

~~~~~~~~~~Spacer~~~~~~~~~~

…The lesser demons of the school chatted excitably amongst themselves. All schools were mildly haunted in such a manner- there were always those students that enjoyed the thrills of ghost-stories. It amused the spirits to no end, to entertain their young wards with eerie sounds and secretly moved objects. But rarely was it that a student could actually _see_ them.

That was the newest point of gossip among them- that the latest student to just arrive had the power of second sight. It made them very excited. What would her reaction to them be? Would she be friendly? Would she be scared? But, she hadn't been frightened of the mononoke with her, that exuded an aura of terrible power. If she could talk with such a spirit so easily, then surely she'd be happy to play with all of them! They bounced and chattered, some actually daring to peek into the classroom where she'd been placed.

One such spirit was on its way to see her, now, hoping to climb the tree outside the classroom window. It lived in the sports shed, where all the equipment was generally kept, and where students often liked to sneak away to for romantic trysts. Cutting through the grass of the front campus, when a tremor in the earth knocked him and his comrades off their feet.

"What was that?" A three-horned demon asked, picking himself out of the dirt. "It felt evil!"

Another tremor. It was not something that could be perceived by humans, the vibrations it sent through the earth were spiritual. Those without the power would never have felt it, but to those resident spirits, the darkness approaching was all too real.

It bled into the courtyard, having chosen to refrain from taking its true shape. But even as the shadow it had come as, it made the ground shake with its presence, leaving deep cavities where it walked. The lesser demons in its path scattered, scrambling to escape the pull of its invisible claws.

A scream unheard. Blood…

…There was at least one spirit that would never get to see the new student, now…

~~~~~~~~~~Spacer~~~~~~~~~~

Lunch came too slowly, as far as Mokkun was concerned. It baffled him how Yuiko could sit through such drolling lessons, hour after hour. Mathematics, science- the history lesson had been mildly interesting, but hearing the assumptions made by modern historians had caused him to roll his eyes. If Yuiko wanted a _real_ history lesson, he could've taught her all she wanted- he'd lived through it, after all. Of course, he'd made no secret of that, during class, and Yuiko had knocked him off her desk for disturbing her. For the first time in centuries, he missed Masahiro's lessons at the Onmyou dorms. Boring as they were, it had still been possible for Masahiro to hold a conversation with him.

Of course, modern schools did have certain perks- having lunch on the school roof among them. Yuiko made a bee-line for the stairs, avoiding any further questions from other students, and bringing Mokkun and her home-made lunch with her.

"Gahhh!" She dropped against the chain-link fence at the lip of the roof, finishing off the last of her bottled tea, while Mokkun continued to munch on an octopus-cut wiener. Seeing the little spirit devouring her lunch, Yuiko sweat dropped- she'd really need to get a bigger lunch box. "Likin' that bento, are we?"

"I gotta hand it to you, Yuiko!" He managed between bites, his words coming out half-garbled. "You may be a tomboy, but you sure know your way around a kitchen!"

"Really… I'm _so_ glad that _my_ lunch meets with _your_ expectations, your highness." Sarcasm drawled from the high schooler, who was feeling decidedly lucky that she didn't have much of an appetite. A sigh escaped her, eyes turning towards the sky as clouds drifted lazily past. Yuiko dropped the base of her iced tea against her forehead, closing her red-brown eyes and enjoying the feeling of the cool metal aluminum against her perspiring skin. "Honestly… It was like an interrogation, back there!"

"What did you expect?" the mononoke retorted, cleaning his chops from the last grain of rice. "They're only high school students. With classes as boring as those, you were probably the best think to come along since sliced bread!"

"Yeah, yeah…" Was her only, lethargic reply, the iced tea can still pressed to her forehead. He examined her closely- truthfully, Yuiko's answer to the questions about her family had disturbed him, more than a little. He knew something had happened… something bad. But the last he'd seen of Yuiko's family had been before the birth of her younger brother- Yuichi. During those times, her father and grandfather had argued constantly, and little Yuiko had been so distraught that she ventured to the zelkova garden as often as she could to escape it. Once Yuichi was born, though, her father had simply left, taking his wife and children with him, and with no word to his father, Seizaburou.

"Yuiko…" He was hesitant to ask, knowing the pain the question would bring her- but he simply had to know. "Where is your family? And why are you living in the shrine, by yourself? I'm sorry if the question bothers you, but-"

"I'm out- I'm going to get some more tea." She cut him off mid-question, by picking herself up off the cement. As if she were completely disregarding what he was saying, she turned her back to the mononoke as if he weren't there.

"Ah- hey! Yuiko!"

Her steps halted at the roof exit, hand poised on the handle. He couldn't see her eyes, her head hung just low enough for her chin-length hair to completely obscure them.

"They're dead."

He felt his heart drop, his throat suddenly going dry to the point of being painful. "Wait- you're father? You're mother? But, what about you're little brother, Yuichi-!"

"They're all dead, Mokkun." Her hand pressed upon the door's lever, eyes never lifting. She drifted inside with all the presence of a ghost. "Everyone… but me."

As the door creaked shut behind her on squealing hinges, every fiber of his being wanted to run after Yuiko. But the look he glimpsed on her face had him frozen, choking any and all other words into silence, and binding his movements more powerfully than any spell.

Yuiko's warm, red-brown eyes… looked dead.

~~~~~~~~~~Spacer~~~~~~~~~~

_Masahiro… I've failed you…_

He hadn't the courage to speak to Yuiko again, and instead watched her mechanically go throughout the rest of her classes. The initial pain had faded, but echoes of it lingered, showing in her responses and mannerisms. To the other students, it went unnoticed, but Mokkun had been with Yuiko for some time, now. And in comparison to the ball of sunshine she'd been as a child, it stood out to him even more.

Of course he wanted to know more. It enraged him that the family he'd been charged with protecting had so suddenly been wiped out, and he desired vengeance on those culprits responsible. Had he been present, he could've prevented whatever accident had ripped them away. But Yuiko's father hadn't contacted her grandfather even once, after disappearing. And even his farthest searches had dredged up nothing. To think, they'd died someplace as close as Tokyo…

He watched her now, going through the end-of-the-day cleaning duties required of all students. She was sweeping, but it felt more as if she were merely going through the motions, and not entirely paying attention to the task at hand. It wouldn't be long until they were done- most students were already gathering their things to go. She was handed the classroom trash, asked to take it to the trash facilities on her way out. Yuiko accepted the task with a smile that was somewhat hollow, grabbing her satchel and heading for the shoe lockers at the front of the school. Mokkun followed closely behind, silent.

Sneakers firmly in place, Yuiko grabbed the trash bag in one hand and her satchel in the other, jogging around to the rear of the school, where the dumpsters were situated. She was aware of Mokkun dragging his paws behind her- the mononoke had scarcely met her gaze, since the discussion on the roof. The growing quiet from the usually overly vocal spirit was becoming uncomfortable. As Yuiko lifted the dumpster lid to throw in the trash, he dropped to his haunches, his tail lashing with anxiety. His eyes were still plastered to the pavement. Yuiko decided that she'd had enough.

"Moookkuuuuun…"

The spirit looked up hesitantly, to find the high-school girl's eyes at level with his own. She was crouching low, balanced on the balls of her feet, and her face barely an inch away. She wore a long expression, eyes glazed with dull suspicion. Mokkun reared, tumbling backwards over his own tail- how in hell had she gotten so close, without him noticing? She snickered a laugh as he scrambled back onto his feet.

"You okay there, Mokkun?"

"What the hell was _that_ about, Yuiko?" He snapped, rubbing his head. He had half a mind to tell her that he could see her underwear all too easily, with her crouching like that. But given her nature, she was more than likely to drop-kick him, if he did.

"Because you looked depressed, that's why." She accused, making his ears drop. "All right, what's the deal? What's bothering you, Mokkun?"

He was avoiding her gaze again. "It's not… what's bothering _me_, that's wrong…"

"So… It's from the roof, then?"

He bobbed his tiny head.

"Honestly…" He became aware of Yuiko sitting beside him, pulling her skirt down between herself and the concrete. "Stop beating yourself up about it, already. It's not like it's your fault."

_Yes, it is._ "But I was the one with the bad taste to bring it up."

"Well, yeaaahh…" Yuiko had to concede that. "But, still… it was within your rights to know."

"And how do ya figure that?" He asked blandly. To his own surprise, Yuiko dropped a warm hand atop his furry head, rubbing gently.

"Aren't _you_ my family, now?"

_Yuiko…_

_"…That smell…"_

The voice that interrupted them belonged to no lesser demon. Yuiko stiffened, overwhelmed by the evil intent now radiating toward her, from the darkest corner of the buildings. _What is that?_

_"Your blood… I know your blood! Your smell is the same as that accursed onmyouji's… Yours is the blood I have been seeking!"_

"Yuiko, _run!"_ Mokkun was on all fours, standing between her and the darkness that was starting to take shape. Fangs bared, fur bristling, he glared balefully at the rising demon's massive form. Mottled skin, green-glowing eyes, mouth protruding enormous incisors, and two dark and wickedly curving horns… He knew this devil.

"Shuten'Doji!" Mokkun growled.

_"Touda… How long has it been since I fought with you…"_ Its laughter bespoke only horror, brutality- invoking images of devoured samurai. _"Stand aside, shikigami… I care nothing for you! I have come for the girl, alone! She who possesses the blood of that accursed line!"_

Yuiko was floored. It was as if a switch had been flipped, shutting down all other bodily function. Her mind was caught in a loop, trying over an over to process what the demon was telling them. _Me? …It's come for… me?_

"Like _hell!"_ Came Mokkun's snarled response. "Seimei killed you once before, Ogre King, and I'll be happy to do it again! You'll never even so much as _scratch_ Yuiko!

"What are you sitting there, for?" He demanded of the girl, her eyes yet fixed upon the ogre's gaping maw. "Get up, and _run_, you idiot!"

But Yuiko couldn't run. She wasn't even capable of the thought necessary to process the mononoke's words. She simply stared, as the laughing oni picked up its huge, spiked, and blood-stained club…

Sharp teeth dug into tender flesh, snapping Yuiko out of her trance. Mokkun had bitten her- just hard enough to wake her up, leaving little pin-pricks of blood on her forearm. But it had been enough, she was able to think again- able to move-

_"Run_, you _dumbass!"_

At Mokkun's urging, Yuiko dove, the gigantic club coming just short of her head, and tearing apart the cement outer walls of the school. Tucking her body into a quick roll, the high schooler was instantly on her feet, running with all the speed her small-feeling body could muster, Mokkun following close behind. Long hours of arduous training paid off, and she moved at a break-neck pace that most track students would have difficulty keeping up with. But the ogre, Shuten'Doji, was very large, and took very big steps…

And he was following.

_"Girl! I will see you dead!"_ His roar shook the very bones in her body, his steps shaking the earth. _"For the sake of my master, I shall crush you bones! I shall drink your blood! The blood of that accursed man…"_

"Just who the _hell_ is he talking about?" A breathless Yuiko demanded of no one in particular. Mokkun still raced at her side.

"Shut up, and keep running! He's faster than he- _Yuiko!"_

She barely had time to glance behind, when that terrible club smashed into the earth, not a heartbeat behind her. Yuiko was sent flying, her scream reverberating like a thunderclap in Mokkun's ears. Her limp form bounced and scraped to halt on the pavement, the small mononoke screaming her name in agony. Shuten'Doji was already upon her.

"Yuiko… _Yuiko!"_

First, one arm pushed up, then the second. Mokkun let out a shuddering exhale of relief.

_"Daughter of Abe…"_ The oni loomed over her, slavering at the sight of her so defenseless.

_Daughter of… Abe?_ Her mind stung, trying to process what the oni was saying. "You're wrong… my name's… Tominaga! If you're looking for someone called 'Abe', then you've got the wrong girl- I'm Tominaga Yuiko!"

_"Oh no, little girl…"_ Its laughter was mortared in bloodlust. _"I have made no mistake… Your blood reeks of his smell! You are the one my master wants- and you will be sacrificed!"_

The club lifted, filling her gaze with crimson. She was vaguely aware of Mokkun's voice, echoing somewhere in the back of her mind, but all she saw- all she could perceive, was that club, right up until she closed her eyes.

_…Atsui… Why is it so… hot?_

She heard the roar of the fire, felt the heat of the flames. Yuiko's eyes fluttered open, recognizing the figure in front of her. His small, furry body now glowed with power, the mark on his forehead burning with light. The oni- Shuten'Doji- stumbled back from the wall of flames that had been erected between them, screaming as it clutched the gashes on its arms, cut into it by crescents of pure heat.

"You will never touch her…" Mokkun's voice had changed, as if it's higher pitched tone was now over-laid with a second voice- something deeper, more masculine. "I gave my word to Masahiro… You will _never_ harm the descendents of Abe!"

"Mo…kun?"

Yuiko muttered dumbly at his back, startled by the change that had come over him. But the mononoke did not turn to face her. "Yuiko is the last… The very last of Masahiro's precious family! And I will protect her and her children, to the very end!

"Even if it kills me! I- _Touda_- shall never falter in that duty! Until the day Masahiro's true successor appears!"

The oni let out a hideous laugh. Darkness seemed to swallow him, his monstrous form dissolving before their eyes like an ice cube melting in the sun. But the glow in its green eyes did not diminish in the least.

_"I see the centuries have not weakened your powers, Touda…"_ Shuten'Doji's voice was like blood on cement. _"I have underestimated you… So I shall withdraw, for now… But do not think that you will be able to protect this girl… My master wishes her dead- and so her fate is decided. I will offer up her agony and resentment as a tribute. She will die…_

_ "Just as all those before her have…"_

The last of Shuten'Doji's shadow melted away into the street, Mokkun practically collapsed in relief. The flame barrier he erected died with a hiss, the cement scorched black where it had touched. His legs felt stiff, from the defensive stance he'd locked them into, and now felt weak- trembling. But he could endure his weakness… So long as Yuiko was safe.

"Are you all right?" He choked, finally turning his eyes to the girl behind him. "…Yuiko?"

She was clutching her heart, as if its pounding were causing her physical pain. Breath came in short, labored pants, her eyes wide and unblinking for so long that tears poured from them, simply to keep them moist. But she couldn't close them, and the grip her clawed hands had on her uniform drained the blood from her skin.

"Mokkun…" Her voice was soft… too soft. "Was that thing… was that the demon… that murdered my family?"

His eyes shot open in protest. Yuiko hadn't told him how her family had died, and he hadn't made any assumptions- but, murder? Things started clicking together in his brain, events making sense that before had seemed to only be a series of coincidences. Within his mind, he cursed- he was a shikigami. He _knew_ that there was no such thing as circumstance.

"Answer me, Mokkun…!" Her voice was somewhere between rage and grief, cracking with emotion. "Did that thing kill my parents? My little _brother?"_

"…I don't know."

"And what about this 'blood of Abe' shit? You were saying the same damn thing _he_ was! 'Protect the line of Abe'- '_Kill_ the line of Abe'- exactly what the _hell_ are you keeping from me, Mokkun?"

He was silent, his eyes refusing to meet with hers. Hands clawed at the ground as Yuiko dragged herself closer to the mononoke, as if her legs were refusing to cooperate. "Why won't you say anything? _Tell_ me, Mokkun!"

She extended a taloned hand towards him- but he did not recoil. Mokkun simply closed his eyes, awaiting the deserved retribution… But there was only warmth. The hand he had expected to strike out at him, instead dropped gently atop his head, caressing the soft fur of his ears. Heavy tears dropped from Yuiko's red-brown eyes, looking so full of agony that they might go blind with it.

"Please, Mokkun…" she sobbed, her voice little more than a strangled whisper. "_Please…_ I need to know…"

…

"…Gather up your things, Yuiko. We're going home."

He walked almost coldly from her gentle fingers, Yuiko felt as if she could wretch from the pain. But then, Mokkun stopped, looking back to her just once. And for the first time, she saw within them an ageless sorrow that she had never before witnessed in the little mononoke.

"…I'll tell you, then… At the zelkova…"

~~~~~~~~~~Spacer~~~~~~~~~~

_**Free Talk:**__ Dun-dun-dunnnnn! Welcome back! We have now reached the third installment of "Shoujo Onmyouji"! I'm happy to be making decent progress, so far- it's pretty hard for me to write something, and actually be satisfied with it, so I'm relatively pleased with myself! Of course, as I mentioned before, don't expect me to keep the pace. I'm just getting lucky, with how fast I've put out the other chapters. I did have to go back and make some minor tweaks to the other chapters, nothing really noticeable, just something for me to be happy with, after studying up a bit about Abe no Seimei._

_I hope everyone is liking the story so far- this chapter was really hard to write! There's a balance between the funny moments and the dramatic ones that I'm starting to get the hang of. I'm trying to keep the emotions real, and properly conveyed, without the story being too rushed or taking too long. Tricky!_

_Thank you to those of you who have favorited, commented on, or placed notifications on this story, so far. I know that "Shonen Onmyouji" is not so popular, here on FF, which is a real shame. I picked it up on a whim, and it turned out to be a fantastic series for me. I fell instantly in love, and was inspired to write a fan fiction for the first time in years. As always, I welcome your comments and criticisms, both. I'm especially interested to hear what you think of my portrayal of the characters, so far. Is Mokkun how he's supposed to be? Is Yuiko passable as a main character?_

_Fun Facts: Hotaru shrine is not a real place. However, all the other places I've mentioned so far- Kibune shrine, Kuramadera, and the railway- are all very real places and things, in Kyoto! At first, I considered making the Tominaga ancestral shrine the Yuki shrine or Kibune shrine, but those are real places, with real families tending to them, so it seemed rude. However, when I saw "Firefly Rocks" on the map, I was given my idea for Hotaru shrine! For those of you who know the series, you're already aware of the importance of fireflies, so it seemed the natural place that a shrine would've been erected for Masahiro, just as Abe no Seimei had a shrine erected in his honor, at the house where he used to live._

_-Boy, do I love my little Kyoto guide book!_

_Anyways, next chapter! Abe no Masahiro's legacy! Mokkun getting angry at Yuiko! Yuiko as a little girl! Train wrecks! Ogres! Shirley Temples! Okay, maybe not the Shirley Temples, but definitely the other stuff! See you all, there!_


	5. Chapter 4: Daughter of Abe

_**Shoujo Onmyoji~ **_

A Fanfiction by Miyuki

Based upon "Shonen Onmyoji"

Foreword: I do not own Shounen Onmyouji or its characters all rights belong to the original owners. This is merely a fan fiction for the purpose of fun and entertainment.

_Minor note from the author: This is going to be a looooong chapter, so I hope you have a beverage handy!_

_Chapter 4: Daughter of Abe_

…It was sunset, by the time Yuiko met Mokkun by the zelkova.

Immediately after getting home, he had told her to finish up whatever other business she had. She was still shaken from Shuten'Doji's attack, the physical and mental exhaustion readable on her face and in her stiff motions. Before he would tell her anything, he wanted her to have a little rest, even if it was just by doing mundane things- a bath, a change of clothes, homework. But Yuiko made no dinner. Even though she'd only eaten about half of her lunch, and her stomach loudly protested, she just couldn't bring herself to eat _anything._ In the end, she quieted the rumblings with a cup of green and jasmine tea, hoping it would also help to sooth her nerves.

Then, finally, she crawled through the passage beneath the main house, not even bothering with the flashlight, this time. The sky was dyed pink, the clouds orange. Even the wide boughs of the zelkova seemed stained with the mournful colors of the evening. Mokkun was curled tightly on one of the wide, lower branches, never once glancing in Yuiko's direction- as if he'd failed to even notice her arrival. The mononoke's vision was divided, somewhere between his thoughts of the past, and the attack on Yuiko today. But no matter how he mulled over it, his mind just kept circling back to the same conclusion.

_The seal is weakening…_

"…Mokkun?" It took Yuiko's soft voice to bring him out of his thoughts, crimson eyes darting to the girl's drawn face. The few hours of rest had done her well, but looking at the circles beneath her red-brown eyes, and he knew she could use much more… It was unfortunate that it wasn't likely to happen, tonight, now.

"Follow me." The mononoke hopped to the ground at her feet, trotting off the garden's edge and down the mountainside. His expression pained her- Yuiko had never seen Mokkun so serious, before. And knowing that she was the one at fault did nothing to set her at ease… but she had to know. The demon that attacked her… what he had said about others dying before her had made too much sense. The police never _had_ caught the ones responsible, even after months of investigating, dragging her back through the memories of that night over and over, in hopes that she'd give them more of a clue. But nothing Yuiko said ever led them to anything, and she had to listen to that last conversation with her mother every night, in her dreams. The sound of dark, chuckling laughter, just before the line went dead…

"Yuiko!" She was snapped out of her daze by Mokkun's sharp words, the mononoke chiding her with a glare. "Pay attention, around here. The path hasn't been tended to in decades, and the footing's bad. If you fall down the mountain, like last time, I won't bring you back here again, tonight."

"R-right, sorry…" She muttered, averting her eyes with shame. It was painful to look at Mokkun, right now. But she did as he instructed her, and watched where she walked.

He seemed to be leading her around to the far backside of the shrine, where the mountain continued its upward slope. She could see the walls that surrounded the house, keeping the forest at bay. The red tiling of the roof was plainly visible against the evergreen leaves. Her foot collided with a rock, causing her to teeter momentarily. Mokkun gave a quick glance back, but seeing that she was still walking dispelled his concern, and he returned to leading her on ahead. Now that she looked down, she realized that it hadn't been a rock her foot had met with, but an old walkway stone… The path Mokkun was leading her own had once been deliberately placed, and well-tended. But as he said, years without care had caused the walkway to deteriorate- it likely hadn't been used since the zelkova garden had been walled off… Why _had_ they walled off that part of the house, anyway? It was the only section without a wall separating it from the rest of the forest- and clearly this pathway had been the reason for that. No doubt, it had once been beautifully tended, the marking of its original form still apparent, even now. It seemed so foolish, to block it off…

"…We're here." Mokkun came to stop, allowing Yuiko to look around. They had reached an area about a mile up from the original shrine. The ground had been leveled, and there was evidence of man-cut stone, lining the entrance of a cave. A singular torii gate stood at its entrance, its red coloring having long-since faded. The shimenawa ropes had fallen to decay, and now only their remnants remained. But the oil lamps inside still burned, showing evidence that _someone_ still tended to the place. Yuiko's eyes drifted to Mokkun.

"This is the true heart of Hotaru-jinja." He explained, never glancing back. "The shrine at the house is actually the secondary shrine. Long ago, the head priest of the Tominaga family was the only one allowed to know of its existence, and care for it. But during the Bakumatsu, there was a great deal of confusion, and part of the house was destroyed in the revolution. The head priest's sons went off to war, and he died waiting for them to return, leaving only his daughter and her husband to take over, without ever knowing of the first shrine's existence. When the house was repaired, the zelkova garden and its pathway were walled off, and this shrine was forgotten… I was the only one here, to tend it…"

Pain was building in Yuiko's throat. "Mokkun…"

"…Come on, let's go inside."

~~~~~~~~~~Spacer~~~~~~~~~~

In comparison to its exterior, the cave was dry, and well-maintained. Oil lamps lined the walls, their wicks bright with flame. Once past the initial entrance, its ceiling flew upwards, expanding the cave's size enormously. The walls and floors had been smoothed to a glassy sheen, glittering black, as if they had been cut by flame in ages long past. It was astounding to think such a place had been carved directly into the mountainside.

Before her, Mokkun had come to an abrupt halt, just within the main cavern, his ears pricked forward, as if listening for something, before they suddenly dropped flat against his skull, his head hunching below his shoulders in a defensive posture.

"Mokkun?"

"There's a scent here I don't recognize…" He growled low, the mark on his forehead glowing. Yuiko tensed- the oni? So soon?

"All right, _come on out!"_ Mokkun's voice echoed throughout the cavern, extending up into the ceiling that disappeared into darkness. "I know you're there! Don't make me _burn_ you out of hiding!"

Silence… No, not silence. Yuiko strained her ears- there, she could just barely hear it. Muffled shuffling, and frightened whispers- multitudes of them. And something coming closer- rapidly, as if it were descending from high above…

"Gkk!" There was weight on her shoulders, as three small bodies dropped on her from the cavern ceiling. Yuiko lurched forward, catching herself just before the new weight made her lose her balance. A small claw patted her cheek, and a tiny, horned demon smiled at her from its perch.

"Hello, priestess!"

"Yes, hello!

"Hello!"

The whisperings she had heard, the shuffling, had been the voices of lesser demons. They swarmed out of the darkness of the cavern, wherever the oil lamps' light did not reach, surrounding her and Mokkun. Yuiko straightened her shoulders, adjusting herself to the weight of her new passengers begrudgingly.

"Oh, for Kami's sake…" Mokkun muttered irritably. "What the hell are _you_ guys doing here? This is _supposed_ to be a sacred shrine!"

"Yes, we know." The horned demon on Yuiko's shoulder swung his legs down, as if she were a bench. "That's why we're hiding here- it's very safe."

"That's right, that's right!" Another spirit, this one shaped something like a one-eyed, purple slug, peeked out from behind Yuiko's ankle. "There's something evil, lurking in the city, these days. All of us lesser demons can feel it!"

"Evil?" Yuiko dropped her hand on the horned demon's head, petting him absently. He actually purred. "Do you mean… Shuten'Doji?"

"No! The Ogre King is just one of its servants." A lizard demon waddled forward, covering its three eyes. "We can feel it… deep beneath the earth! It throbs and pulses like a heartbeat- as if it's hungry for something!"

All the lesser demons shuddered and cried, the horned demon she was petting actually grasped her hand and pulled it down more, as if she could shield him from his own terror. His shaking tugged at her heartstrings, the poor devils- literally.

"They're talking about his master." Mokkun interrupted, his voice once again taking on the serious tone that made her feel so uncomfortable. It just didn't suit him. "He's the one who resurrected Shuten'Doji- the one who's _really_ responsible for that attack against you."

Yuiko felt her shoulders tense. _The one responsible…_

"It's just ahead." Mokkun spun on his paws, not bothering to glance back. "Let's go."

She took a breath, steadying herself before taking a step after the mononoke- and where she went, she was followed by the shuffling crowd of lesser demons. It seemed rather comical, with so many of them clinging to her socks, and crowding around her feet. The one she was petting before nudged closer to her face, staring straight ahead with saucer-like eyes. It was funny, but Yuiko suddenly felt immensely better, as if the small creatures had taken away her anxieties. She smiled.

Mokkun stopped before an altar, placed before an enormous curtain that hung at the rear of the cave. On the altar rested a string of prayer beads, polished a bluish-black. The mononoke had an incredibly lonesome look on his face, when he touched those prayer beads- the same sort of ageless sorrow she had seen before, when he had said he would tell her the truth. It tore at her heart to see him so pained.

Leaving the altar behind, he tugged at the corners of the long drapery, pulling it aside, and exposing it to the warm light of the oil lamps. Yuiko took a sharp inhale of breath, awed by the magnificent detailing of the mural, its colors still vivid after more than nine hundred years. It depicted a battle, between a terrible darkness and a single man. He wore the mantle of an onmyouji, centered upon the five-point star. Surrounding him were twelve figures- deities, all- and they faced the oncoming evil at his command. Yuiko's eyes drifted along its beautifully-etched lines settling upon the form closest to the onmyouji at the mural's center. This deity was male- with blazing eyes and hair of bright crimson, hands stained black from the weight of sin. This one, in particular, seemed oddly familiar to Yuiko…

~~~~~~~~~~Spacer~~~~~~~~~~

_…It was the Heian era…_

_ Abe no Seimei, greatest of all the Emperor's onmyouji, faced against a terrible evil. This darkness had once been the soul of a man, but twisted by greed and vengeance, had become a demon most foul. It cursed the emperor, awakening those mournful souls within the capitol to wreak havoc and chaos. But with the aid of the Juuni Shinshou, the twelve Divine Generals, Abe no Seimei defeated the evil, sending it back to the depths of its own darkness, to bide and to wait…_

_ In time, Abe no Seimei passed on. And he was succeeded by his youngest grandson- Abe no Masahiro. This child was possessed of a modest disposition, and power far beyond that of his grandfather. He was served by the shikigami of Abe no Seimei- the twelve Divine Generals, and together with them, thwarted many evil spirits that intended harm against Heian-kyo and its emperor for many years…_

_ But as Masahiro approached the autumn of his life, a darkness once again arose to engulf the capitol. As it had once before, it cursed the emperor, taking with it this time the life of Abe no Masahiro's beloved wife. Despite his grief, Masahiro arose to battle the evil, awakening the Divine Generals from their long slumber of peace. For many days and nights, they fought. The demon had grown terribly in power, during its years of silence, and many of the Juuni Shinshou were wounded terribly, until only one remained standing alongside their master._

_ Realizing that even his considerable powers were not sufficient to destroy the monster, Abe no Masahiro cast the demon into a slumbering darkness. Binding it forever in a magical seal, reinforced with the power of the Juuni Shinshou, the demon was again defeated by the powerful onmyouji of the Abe bloodline…_

_ And even now, the demon sleeps beneath the capitol, awaiting the seal's release…_

~~~~~~~~~~Spacer~~~~~~~~~~

"…So, then… The Onmyouji depicted in this mural… Is my ancestor?"

Mokkun's head bobbed in answer to her question. "Hotaru shrine is dedicated to the onmyouji, Abe no Masahiro, from which the Tominaga family is directly descended. It was consecrated shortly after his death, under the premise of worshipping the spirits."

"So, then… what about the demon in the story?"

"That demon… Was too powerful for even Masahiro to destroy. It had once been a man- also an onmyouji- whose lust for power and greed drove him to seek darker powers. He fought Abe no Seimei, and was defeated, thought dead. But his soul had become an akuma, and he ceased to exist as a man. He abandoned his form and possessed the body of another, plotting and scheming in secrecy for decades. He attacked again when Masahiro was still only in training, and was banished to the land of the dead…

"But, that also was not enough to stop him. Beyond the borders of the living world, his soul feasted on those evil spirits that resided there, growing in power, until he was strong enough to force his way out. By that time, Masahiro was married, with two sons. He took Masahiro's wife, Akiko, and lured him into a battle of vengeance…"

Even now, the images of that day flashed so vividly in his mind- Suzaku's prone body, Ten'itsu's screams. Byakkou hovering protectively before Tai'in and Genbu, he always had been the fatherly type. Seiryuu, Rikugou, and Kouchin were all badly torn, but still they fought, keeping the hordes of tainted youkai at bay, while Tenkuu, Tenkou, and Taijou worked together to form a protective barrier between them, and bar escape to any miasma that might taint the capitol. And he… by Masahiro's side, as always, wielding his flames and his trident to protect the man he still saw as that foolish young trainee of thirteen he met, all those years before…

"Hey, don't stop the story, now!"

Mokkun's glare shot up, eye-balling the lesser demon that had dared to talk out of turn. They were all pitched forward in excitement, completely caught up in his words. He had half a mind to send them running- they shouldn't even be _in_ this shrine! But one glance Yuiko's quiet face- and those all-too-familiar red-brown eyes, and he relented.

"…Even with all his powers, and the aid of the Juuni Shinshou, Masahiro wasn't able to defeat the monster that demon had become. In the end, it was all he could do to seal it away, trapping it within the body it had taken as host, and burying it so far beneath the capitol's center, not even today do they have the means of reaching it."

"…So he failed." Yuiko's voice was eerily calm, cold almost, her eyes shadowed by her hair, as her head tilted forward in thought. Mokkun's shoulders slumped.

"Yes… But Masahiro was not a fool. Even after reinforcing it with the powers of the Juuni Shinshou. He knew that there would come a time when his barrier would fail… Which is why he divined a prophecy."

The demon on Yuiko's shoulders lurched forward, almost far enough to fall off. "What prophecy?"

"A prophecy to bring about the demon's final end." He could hear Masahiro now, speaking its purpose.

_"When I am no more, and the seal upon him has grown weak, another shall rise to complete the task that I could not. Waking the Juuni Shinshou from their long sleep, he shall be of the line of Abe, and confront the demon. All our powers shall be poured into him, collected throughout the generations by means of this seal, I now place upon our line. He, and he alone, shall be my successor, and have the strength to defeat the akuma that man has become…"_

"But, isn't that dangerous?" The three-eyed lizard inched closer. "Even if the akuma is sealed, what about his servants? Surely the descendants of Abe would have been in danger from the demon's servants!"

"Yes…" Mokkun nodded reluctantly. "Following that battle, those of the Abe clan- and specifically those of Abe no Seimei's lineage, could no longer use their spiritual powers as onmyouji. Their powers had been sealed, so that they might be given to the successor Masahiro prophesized. They could no longer defend themselves from the attacks made by demons. As a precaution, the family split- Masahiro's line changed their surname to Tominaga, and assumed care of this shrine. For a long time, this was enough to protect them from those demons that hunted them… He also left a single shikigami as the family's guardian, to watch over them until such a time that his successor appeared… "

"That would be you."

He nodded.

"So, does that mean the priestess… is Masahiro's successor?"

The demons chattered excitedly around her, some even bouncing with joy. Yuiko's shadowed eyes had never once lifted.

"No." They fell quiet, Mokkun's strict tone causing them to flinch. "Yuiko is talented, that's without question… But I've been watching the Tominaga family for a very long time, and it isn't unusual for the power of second sight to crop up from time to time. If not for the seal upon her lineage, then she would've no doubt made a very impressive spirit medium… But Yuiko is _not_ Masahiro's successor."

"So, then… what about Shuten'Doji?" It was the first she'd spoken in a while, the softness in her voice still laced with ice.

"Shuten'Doji was known as the King of Ogres." Mokkun explained. "He was defeated by Abe no Seimei and the samurai, Minamoto no Yorimitsu, long ago- before even Masahiro's father had been born. But he knows the Abe bloodline by scent- he wouldn't be fooled by a camouflage name. That he's been resurrected is proof that the seal upon the akuma is weakening… It won't be long, now. It may be the next generation, or the one after that… But Masahiro's successor is sure to soon arrive."

All was quiet. Those lesser demons that sit beside the kneeling Yuiko looked to her with concern, as if waiting for her to speak. Even Mokkun was left a little on edge by her silence, since she had not once lifted her gaze. Her hands were clenched in her lap, forming fists so tight that her skin had turned white.

"I see…" She finally dared to speak. "So, then… Because this… Abe no Masahiro… He failed to destroy that demon…"

Mokkun felt another pang of shame, but it was twinged with rising ire. Of all people, he knew just how hard Masahiro had fought. Calling it his "failure" was incredibly harsh.

…But then, Masahiro had seen it the same way.

"And because he failed… He put his entire family in harm's way, hoping one of _them_ would be up to the task!" Yuiko's teeth ground so hard, it was audible. "What! Wouldn't his pride let him think that someone _outside_ the family line was capable enough?"

"Yuiko!" Mokkun's voice was deep with warning, the mononoke lifting up on all fours. She was going down a dangerous line of thought, with him- even if she was his ward. "Don't you dare speak so callously of Masahiro! That wasn't the case, at all!"

Yuiko was completely unphased by his veiled threat. "Oh, then let me put it another way!" For the first time since the conversation started, Yuiko lifted her eyes to meet his. Their red-brown warmth had been replaced with a wild sorrow, something almost akin to madness, a fixed grin displacing her features. "You're saying that my family was _murdered_, just because we _happen_ to be distantly related to some _hack_ onmyouji that lived a thousand years ago! An ancestor we never even _knew_ about!"

"Hack…_ Hack onmyouji? _Masahiro was the most powerful spirit medium to ever exist- even more powerful than his _grandfather!_ The only reason he isn't mentioned _historically_ is because he was so diligent as to exterminate _any_ evil, before it even _approached_ the capitol!" Mokkun's fur stood up, his crimson mark burning with outrage. "Your family was attacked, because they _left_ the protection of Hotaru shrine! Your father didn't tell _anyone_ where he was going! How could they be protected, if no one knew where they _were?"_

_"So, it's our fault, then?"_ Yuiko stood so suddenly, that the demons perched on her shoulders went flying. Hot tears rimmed her eyes- she hadn't blinked once. "They were torn to _pieces!_ And you're telling me that it's our fault, for wanting to live _normally? Yuichi was thirteen!_ And he had his _head ripped off!"_

They exchanged glares, neither willing to relent the other's point, each too wounded by events of the past to concede. Mokkun was actually growling at her, he was so angry, and Yuiko's nails had dug into the tender flesh of her palms enough to draw blood. She spun on her heel, her steps echoing loudly in the shrine cavern, despite the rubber soles of her sneakers.

"I will never accept it…" Mokkun hissed with violence after her. "I will _never_ accept you as Masahiro's successor!"

_"Good."_ Yuiko glanced back once, eyes still sharp with pain. "Because _I_ will never accept someone who sacrifices his own _family_ as an _ancestor!"_

And she was gone, thundering away from the central shrine and back towards the main house along the secret path. "I _knew_ it!" She muttered to herself in a ceaseless loop. "I _knew_ it wasn't a god-damn burglary…!"

~~~~~~~~~~Spacer~~~~~~~~~~

…The following days were very quiet, at Hotaru shrine. Yuiko never even waited for her alarm to go off, having already been awake, long before. At first, she'd been entirely too restless to get any sleep, and dark circles beneath her eyes always greeted her at the bathroom mirror. Sitting up from her futon now, she could likely expect more of the same today, as well… She gave a lonesome glance to the corner where Mokkun typically slept, curled into a white ball of fluff… Now empty.

Mokkun had not come home, that night. And she had not cared to look for him at the zelkova, the emotions still too raw inside of her. Day after day, she went through the motions of getting ready, scarcely aware of what she was doing, right until the sliding door was clattering shut behind her.

"Going to school, today?"

The familiar voice was coldly detached, drawing her gaze, upwards. Mokkun was perched on the roof, paws coolly folded as he glared down at her boredly. In contrast, his long tail lashed about the tiles, showing that he was still clearly upset. Yuiko hardened her own gaze in response.

"Of course I am." She said calmly, contemptuously showing her back to the mononoke. "It's not as if I could go, during the _murder_ investigation."

There came no further response, and she did not look back, until she had reached the bottom of the shrine steps- Mokkun had not followed her this time, either.

"It's fine- who wants an irritating little monster like that hanging around them, anyways?"

…But even Yuiko thought she sounded like she was trying to convince herself. And sitting on the empty train in the morning did little to ease the knot in her stomach.

…How very lonely, this week had been…

~~~~~~~~~~Spacer~~~~~~~~~~

_…Seems she's fine._ Mokkun watched the train roll away mournfully, Yuiko never once realizing he'd followed her to the platform. In truth, he'd been tailing the girl all week. Angry or not, it was still his duty to ensure her safety- and so he had kept out of sight. Each morning, he would watch her leave from the train station, manifesting at the school campus before she arrived, and returning to the shrine, as she took the return-train home. Not that it was difficult, Yuiko was so wrapped up in her own thoughts, right now, she failed to take much notice of anything else. She projected an aura of misery that made the other students generally not bother her, not even the lesser demons that were typically so excited in her presence even went near… It was painful, watching her this way. But he kept his distance, and Shuten'Doji had yet to make a second appearance.

The barb this morning had actually stung, despite his cold façade. Yuiko's family had been literally ripped from her, he could never contemplate the kind of agony it was for her to endure that by herself. But in the same respect, nor could she imagine what it was like, feeling the loss of the most important person in his life. Long centuries dripped by, with that pain still lodged in his heart, as he watched the sky drifting past, day after ceaseless day in the zelkova, alone…

At least, until Yuiko had appeared…

…In all honesty, he couldn't place the number of years he'd spent at the zelkova tree, in Hotaru shrine's garden. It had been planted at the shrine's construction, when the children of Abe no Masahiro had changed their surname to that of Tominaga. Like him, it had kept watch over his descendants throughout the long years, its peaceful boughs giving him a place of rest, since he dared not return to the spirit realm, throughout his long duty… not like anyone would be there to greet him, anyways. The other Juuni Shinshou were now all sealed, sleeping within those shrines Masahiro had designated for them, to keep the seal on the akuma strong. Generations came and went, but he never felt their passing the way humans did. He could only watch as the family lived, and died, and lived again- over and over. All the while, completely oblivious to the presence of their guardian. Mostly.

Within the Tominaga family, the ability of second sight was a rare gift, cropping up only once in a generation. And as the family's protector, it was inevitable that those individuals with the power would come to see him… But their reactions were always the same. He- Touda- would overwhelm them with his aura and presence, the flames he controlled making them shake with awe… They were afraid of him, they were always afraid of him… Eventually, the zelkova tree where he rested at had been walled off from the rest of the shrine, reachable only by a tiny crawlspace underneath the floorboards of the main house. He ventured out only briefly, to check up on the family, and perhaps play the occasional prank. This suited him just fine, he was perfectly content to remain at the zelkova, alone and unneeded…

Until the day a small girl-child had popped out of the garden's hidden entrance.

The girl was clearly gifted with the second-sight, talking and playing with those lesser demons that inhabited the shrine. But while they had warned about entering the hidden garden, her nature was simply too stubborn, too inquisitive. Warily watching her from the boughs of the zelkova tree, the ancient shikigami made certain not to draw attention to himself as she explored his little sanctuary, chin resting in one clawed hand. He had absolutely no intention of revealing himself to the girl, if it could be helped. But then, she had ventured over to the garden's koi pond, which was deep, and long-devoid of any fish. She was clearly too young to know how to swim, but she splashed her hands merrily in the water, getting herself and all her demon friends wet.

He had never liked children- or, perhaps it would be better to say that they had never liked _him._ Those that saw him were, always and inevitably, afraid of him, and children even more so. As a result, he usually avoided them outright, as if he were fearful of the cries he might invoke. But so long as they were laughing, and unaware of him, he didn't mind them so much. He started to enjoy seeing the girl so amused, her attention completely occupied by the koi pond, and relaxed, ready to resume his nap.

That was when she fell in.

He muttered a curse. The lesser demons that had been playing with the girl scattered as he descended- not that it mattered, none of them had the strength to lift the flailing child. Reluctantly, he plucked her from the pond, setting her in his lap, and gently rubbing her back to ease the water out of her lungs. When at last she was done spluttering and coughing, her eyes turned to her rescuer.

_Here it comes…_ He tensed, like a deer caught in headlights, waiting for the tears he was sure would start at any second. Her small hand lifted to his face, doubling his anxiety- but the cries never started. And the hand he had teetered away from gently patted his cheek, damp from the water, but surprisingly warm. The girl in his lap smiled brightly.

"Onii-chan, arigatou!"

It was then that he noticed, how much her eyes looked like Masahiro's. And when she asked "onii-chan" who he was, his name spilled out of his lips before he had even considered it, as if it were the most natural thing in the world to tell her.

"Guren."

After that, Yuiko visited the zelkova almost daily, always calling "Guren-nii!" for him. And somehow, she always seemed to do something to fray his nerves. Either dropping herself into the koi pond, or climbing the zelkova tree. She even tried to venture out into the forest on more than one occasion, but when a long-winded explanation of how dangerous the forest was didn't work to curb her curiosity, he had simply said, in an exasperated voice- "Don't go, I'll get worried". Surprisingly, it worked. But despite the exhaustion of caring for the child, he never found himself particularly agitated by his new job as baby-sitter. Yuiko's attentions filled him with a sense of ease, as well as an eerie familiarity, as if he had done these things once before. But where and when, he could not place. Not that it mattered. For the first time in centuries that he could not recall, the pain of Masahiro's loss no longer weighed on him so terribly. Yuiko demanded so much of his attention during her visits that he scarcely had time to think of anything else. And surprisingly, he was rather okay with that.

He rarely left the zelkova, anymore, the centuries had seen less and less need of his power. Of course, he still ventured out from time to time, to ensure the family's safety. That had been the duty left to him by Masahiro, and his devotion to that would never falter. At these times, he would take on his mononoke form, exploring the shrine's perimeter, and sometimes venturing into the city proper, to see how the world had changed. But outside of their protection and Yuiko, however, he took little interest in the Tominagas. He knew that Yuiko's grandfather, Seizaburou, and her father yelled at each other quite often, because those were the times that Yuiko came most frequently, her eyes filled with tears he would unconsciously wipe aside. Before Yuiko, Seizaburou was the one to possess the gift of second sight, and he had also ventured into the hidden zelkova garden. But this is where the similarities between Seizaburou and his grandchild ended. Unlike Yuiko, upon meeting eyes with Touda, Seizaburou had screamed, running away in terror. They'd met again on perhaps one other occasion, when he was much older, but Guren had never particularly cared to repeat it- and neither had Seizaburou. As far as Guren was concerned, Yuiko's visits were plenty, her smile more than making up for the last thousand years of the family's perpetual terror of their own guardian.

…It never occurred to him that she would suddenly be gone.

That was the only time he had dared to venture into the main house. Yuiko's sudden absence had left him with a knot in his stomach- was she sick? Had she been hurt? He fretted for days, actually pacing around the zelkova tree, before finally deciding to try and find her… But Yuiko was gone. As were her father, mother, and newborn brother, Yuichi. Her grandfather, Seizaburo, remained alone in the old house, tending to the shrine in silence, save for the occasional visits by his assistant, Kubozuka. But of Yuiko and her family… there was no word. Apparently, her father had had enough of their fights, waiting only until after his son was born, before packing up the entire family. He never told his father where they had gone, and he never bothered to call. Just like that, Yuiko had been snatched out of his life, and his solitude resumed.

…And it was unbearable.

"Seizaburou!" This time, when he approached the Tominaga senior, he disregarded his fright. "Where is she, Seizaburou?"

"You are… the spirit of the zelkova, aren't you?" The old Seizaburou did not look much different than he had in his youth- his hair was whiter, obviously, his face lined with more cares. He was a priest, now, and knew how to conduct himself in the presence of spirits. But in Touda's presence, his anxiety still showed. "Why have you come here? I thought you were content to remain where you were?"

"Never mind that!" He snapped irritably, his dark talons itching with worry. "Where is Yuiko, and the rest of the family?"

"Yuiko-chan?" hearing his granddaughter's name from Touda's mouth was a definite surprise to Seizaburou. "My son and his family… are no longer here."

"Then, where are they?"

"…I do not know."

"What do you mean, 'you don't know'? He's your son, isn't he?"

"Seiji…my son, left here with his wife and two children, shortly after Yui gave birth to their son… She hadn't even returned from the hospital, yet. He simply packed up only the necessities they would need for the children, and left… It seemed he'd been planning it for some time, and I never knew… I never even got to see Yuichi, my grandson…"

"But, why…" Guren tried to grasp understanding from Seizaburou as to why his son would so suddenly abandon their home. The only thing he could think of was Yuiko, crawling to him after another of their fights. Accusation filled his sight. "What was it you and your son were arguing about? Yuiko always came to me, when the two of you fought- now, what was it?"

Seizaburou leaned back- there was Yuiko's name, again. "About Yuiko-chan, of course."

"Wha-?"

"Yuiko has the gift- she could see the spirits that lived around this shrine, as I could. I wanted to make her the shrine's successor. My son… did not take kindly, to this idea."

"Because you chose your granddaughter, over your own son?"

"Not entirely… I suppose it was always something of a disappointment to me that my son did not inherit my second sight. But Seiji's resentment came from his mother's death. When she fell ill, he thought we should take her to see a doctor- but my wife had been cursed. No doctor could cure her of that illness, and I arrogantly thought I could. I was wrong… Seiji has always resented me, for that. He did not wish for his daughter to become the same."

"But, where did they go?"

The old man seemed to shrink with his regret. "…I wish I knew… Seiji… Told me nothing. Nor did Yui. And I doubt little Yuiko was even aware… All I can do now, is wait… And hope my son will forgive me enough to someday call me…"

"No… They can't be… How can I protect them, if they aren't here? How can I keep them safe, if I don't know where they are?" Guren stared down at his dark hands and their uselessness. "Yuiko…"

"That's thrice." Seizaburou commented. "You speak my granddaughter's name so easily. I was aware that she visited you from time to time, but I had thought she would be fearful of your power, as I had been… My granddaughter… means very much to you, doesn't she?"

Guren did not answer. He and Seizaburou made an unspoken agreement- he would search, flying as far away as he dared in hopes of locating the errant Tominaga family. But when he returned, he would speak to Seizaburou, in hopes that his son or his wife had called. Seizaburou waited patiently, right up until his death… That call never came. Seizaburou passed away, and Kubozuka assumed the duties as care-taker. And Guren was left at the zelkova to wait, alone…

And then, years later, a young woman arrived at the shrine. She crawled through the hidden passage, and fell asleep beneath his zelkova tree. Still in his mononoke form, he watched her absently, thinking her no more than an idly-curious high schooler, who had been allowed to meander about the shrine. She was wearing a Kyoto uniform, after all. But it annoyed him that Kubozuka would so easily let a stranger wander about the house. It never at all occurred to him that this young woman was the same child he had once fished out of the koi pond…

"I'm Tominaga Yuiko- nice to meet you."

Such a hypocrite, he was- saying he'd never entrust her with his name, when she already knew. Even though she might not recall directly, some part of her still remembered. That was why she'd called out for him, in her sleep. And he, ever the sentimental fool, had run to her side, just as he had when she was a child- shouting for Guren-nii, when she'd gotten stung by a bee, or had climbed down into the empty well.

He couldn't be angry at Yuiko for her words. She didn't know Masahiro- the sacrifices he'd made to protect his family from the evil he'd failed to best. Not only that, but her family had been killed- and most likely for the reasons she said. How he wanted that to be wrong… Better they had died in an accident, or a robbery, as the police had said._ Anything_ other than demons… But the more he learned of those circumstances, the more it pointed in the direction of the akuma sealed by Masahiro…

And that seal was very nearly broken…

_Ding-dang-ding-dong…_

The school's chimes resounded, calling an end to the day. He saw Yuiko and the rest of her class rise from their seats, half breaking off into their assigned cleaning duties. She had none, today, and the fridge at home was well-stocked, so there wasn't any need to stop for groceries. She'd be home, soon.

"Guess I should head home, myself." He muttered to no one in particular, and faded out of existence.

~~~~~~~~~~Spacer~~~~~~~~~~

The train was empty again, on the ride back. Yuiko reclined against the window, in the front car, staring lethargically out, as the sun began to sink behind the mountains, turning the sky different shades of red and orange. School had actually ended several hours ago, so she was getting home pretty late. It wasn't that anything had happened- she didn't have cleaning duties, or need to go shopping. She just… wasn't ready to head home, yet. With the silence between herself and Mokkun extending on as long as it had, she found herself less and less inclined to stay in the empty house.

_Maybe I should apologize…_ It was a conclusion she had come to, some time ago. After all, what she had said in the cave was an emotional backlash. The police never _had_ come to any definite conclusions about her family's murder, so the incident was still unresolved for her. How could she mourn them, when their killers were still at large? And after hearing Mokkun's story, there ceased to be any doubt in her mind, as to their identities. The brutality of the crime scene, her mother's screams on the phone… slipping in their spilled blood, and seeing Yuichi's head so far across the room, when his body was…

She couldn't think about it. Yuiko curled into a fetal position in her seat, covering her ears. Tears were already stinging her eyes- the tears she had yet to let herself shed. She couldn't think about! Couldn't think about it, couldn't think about it…

…Of course, she knew it wasn't her ancestor's fault. If the blame belonged to anyone, it belonged to the akuma. She shouldn't have gotten angry with Mokkun, that day. Shouldn't have blamed her ancestor for something he had so obviously tried to prevent. But the rage and resentment she felt simply wouldn't leave her alone. She had thought she'd buried it, thought she'd made her peace with it- but if it was so easily dredged up, then that was clearly wrong. Besides, even if the akuma truly were the one responsible, what could she do? She remembered her mother's voice on the phone, calling for her feebly…

_"…Yui… ko…"_

It wasn't a plea for help. Her mother would never want her to face something so dangerous. It was more like a… farewell… Just like all those mornings, before she left for school.

_Take care of yourself._

_Don't get into trouble._

_Dinner will be waiting…_

…She couldn't blame Masahiro. She couldn't blame Mokkun. And though she wanted to- though she bent all of her anger and suspicion onto him, Yuiko didn't blame the akuma, either…

The one she really blamed… was herself…

The train lights flickered- a power surge? She looked up curiously from her seat. No one was left in the car, with her now. Even when she peered through the doors, leading down, she saw only sparse passengers, dotted in between. Only the driver remained, at the head, and the odd flickering didn't appear to be bothering him. Maybe it was just an error in the lights' electrical. Besides, they were practically at Kibuneguchi station, anyways…

The brakes triggered. Simultaneously, with no warning, all train cars ground to an instant halt, amidst sparks and tremors. Yuiko was thrown out of her seat.

~~~~~~~~~~Spacer~~~~~~~~~~

She was late. Mokkun paced anxiously around the zelkova, his tiny claws digging up earth. Yuiko was _really_ late. School had ended at four o'clock. Even taking into account cleaning duties and shopping- of which she had _none_- she should've been back by _six_, at the latest. Now, it was almost six-thirty, and she _still_ hadn't come home.

_Where the hell __**is**__ she?_He gnashed his teeth together, small fangs grinding against each other in an animalistic growl. His long tail thrashed behind him- even if she _was_ upset, where else would she go? Unease gripped about his heart, as all the possibilities ran through his mind. Yuiko's words of _"They were torn to pieces!"_ thundering in his ears. A waft of smoke found its way up his nose, causing him to recoiled and violently sneeze.

_Wait- smoke?_

Looking to his feet, Mokkun saw that his feet were actually scorching the ground. He was so worked up, that he had started to exude heat, and his pacing had burnt into the earth. He sighed.

_I haven't paced like this, since Yuiko's family disappeared, the first time…_

Seeing his own, hissing footsteps, determination flooded his face. Straight into the forest, he dove, speeding down the mountainside on swift paws. He would not let something as petty as an argument be the cause. She'd slipped through his fingers once before, because of his own lack of diligence. Now, she was returned- changed, but returned- and he would _not_ allow a repeat. He _would_ find Yuiko!

_I'll be __**damned**__, if I make the same mistake, again…_

~~~~~~~~~~Spacer~~~~~~~~~~

"…Ahh… What happened-ouch! My head…" Yuiko found herself on the floor of the train car, just outside the door to the driver's cabin. Her skull throbbed painfully- there was red dripping into her vision. With one hand, she pressed against her forehead, becoming dimly aware of a warm wetness there. Her other pushed up her tired body, which felt achy and bruised. She saw a dent in the steel door, smudged with red, and suddenly the blurring in her head made a lot more sense.

"Prob'ly a concussion…" She muttered, dragging herself to her feet.

Her ankle nearly gave way, under her weight- she'd probably whacked it against one of the steel bars, when she flew forward, but it didn't seem broken. Holding herself up against the door, she peered into the driver's cabin. He was unconscious, as she had been, having smashed his head against the console. But the moans coming from him told her he was alive- she heaved a sigh of relief. The train itself seemed all right, but why had the brakes kicked in like that? She yanked the doors open, to check on the driver-

"_Daughter of Abe…"_

The blood in her veins froze. She no longer questioned the reason for the train's sudden stop- the answer was obvious enough, in those words, echoing from far down the track.

_Shuten'Doji!_

Trusting that the driver and any other passengers would be all right, Yuiko hobbled over to the nearest exit, flipping the emergency switch that unlocked the sliding doors. Her satchel abandoned, she dropped the three feet to the ground, her ankle collapsing beneath her as she made contact. But she had no time to endure the pain. She already, the ground was shaking with the tremors of his footsteps. She needed to get away from the train as quickly as she could.

She wasn't about to let anyone else get hurt, because of her.

"_Daughter of Abe!"_

Thankfully, just ahead was the bridge that spanned the river to Kibuneguchi, the train station. Which meant that it was only a little further than that to the Firefly Rocks- and from there, Hotaru shrine. She willed herself back onto her feet, moving as fast as her body allowed. The pain in her ankle made it terribly difficult, allowing her no more than the speed of a rapid jog. But Yuiko grimaced through the pain, remembering how she had barely been able to keep ahead of the monster, even at top speed. Her one saving grace was that the ogre had apparently stopped the train from the _rear_. She couldn't imagine the devastation there'd have been, had he stopped it from the front. Forget herself, _no one_ would have survived _that_. She took her first, struggling steps onto the bridge.

"_Daughter of Abe!"_

She still couldn't see him behind her, but she was already imagining his terrible visage- the great, bulging stomach, the massive arms, and mottled green skin. Skulls adorning his neck, the rough crown atop his crimson mane, encircling his cruel horns. Slavering jowls with wicked teeth, and that club- that enormous, bloody club-! She nearly toppled off the other end of the bridge, as she thought of it, remembering how close it had come to crushing her the last time.

_Don't look back, Yuiko- just keep going!_ She pushed herself onwards, fueled by desperation and a panic-stricken mantra. _Keep going! Keep going! Don't look back!_

She stumbled past Kibuneguchi, seeing no one on the platform. The road to the Firefly Rocks stretched out before her, now. Not much further, to the shrine stairs…

_**"Daughter of Abe!"**_

Kibuneguchi slowly began to recede behind her, her mantra of "Don't look back! Just keep going!" still repeating inside her head. Tears of outright terror spilled down her cheeks- she was alone, again. Just like after the murders. No father to chide her for coming home late. No mother to pat her head and tell her everything was all right. No Yuichi to laugh at her stupidity… No Mokkun. And that hurt, worst of all. She'd been living with the absence of her family for over six months. She'd argued with Mokkun not even a week ago.

She teetered up towards the Firefly Rocks, blinking those tears out of her eyes. She had to keep going…

"_Where are you running to? Daughter of Abe…"_

Eyes shot open, the oni's voice no longer thundering behind her- but ahead. Her gaze lifted slowly, as he phased into existence before her, a horrible grin fixed on his horned face. He'd been playing with her.

The club smashed into the ground out her feet, missing her deliberately, and hurling her into the cold waters of Kibune River. Usually, when she walked this path, Yuiko liked to dip in her hand, and throw a splashing handful Mokkun's way… If she got out of this alive, she swore she'd never do so, again.

Thrown back downstream by the water's current, Yuiko's already-hurting ankle smashed into the rocks, as she pulled herself ashore, sending a wave of agony up her already battered body. Exhausted, she dragged herself onto the grass by the river, her breathing coming in slow, shallow gulps. Her clothes clung to her shivering body, her short hair sticking to her face and neck… Her strength was gone. Shuten'Doji's footfalls came to a halt before her, his murderous laughter in her ears…

She was scared. Gods save her, she was terrified… She couldn't run from him, couldn't cry for help. She hadn't even the strength to _look_ at the monster. She merely huddled, cold and hurting riverbanks, as he loomed before her.

…_I wonder if… this is what Yuichi felt… Yuichi…_

…Yuiko's hand snagged a fistful of grass, forcing her upper torso upwards. Her teeth ground in a sub-human growl, as she forced her body to do what it screamed against. "I won't be afraid…" She spat, the eyes that lifted to face him burning defiance.

"I won't be afraid! Not of _you!"_

"_Ahh… Such determined eyes… To face your end so- you are indeed the descendant of Abe no Seimei…"_ The oni's maw cracked with laughter, his fangs gleaming red in the vanishing sun. _"It seems you've overcome your fears… a pity… But while I may not present your terror to my master…"_

His club lifted with terrible slowness.

"_I may still present your head!"_

She was shaking, her entire body screaming with exhaustion. She couldn't run, couldn't fight back… but nor would she look away. She refused to give this demon the satisfaction of seeing her terrified again.

_Mokkun…_

Funny, how her thoughts would turn to the mononoke, now, of all times. She wondered if he was at the zelkova, again. She wondered if he was missing her, for being late… She only wished she could've apologized to him, for the harsh words last exchanged…

_Mokkun…_

The club reached its peak, Shuten'Doji's pallid green eyes narrowing as he reversed its direction. Yuiko braced herself for its impact.

_Mokkun!_

"_Graaaaggghhhh!"_

The ogre king stumbled backwards as flaming crescents sliced into his upraised arms. The cuts were deep, tearing ligaments and making him drop his crimson club. Startled by the sudden attack, he howled a curse, and once again disintegrated into darkness- but his presence lingered. Shuten'Doji had not yet completed his hunt.

"Yuiko!" Mokkun's voice penetrated her stupor, causing the injured girl to turn her gaze in his direction. He stood by the forest edge, eyes scanning for the ogre's presence. "Run for the shrine! If you can make it inside the torii, then the barrier will protect you! Even _he_ can't break through _that_ shield!"

"Mokkun…" Yuiko weakly stuttered to her feet, the mononoke's heart lurched at the sight of the injured girl. Though the river had washed the blood from the tear on her forehead, its cold waters left skin pallid and ghostly, shivering. She could barely stand on her swollen ankle. Had he been but a moment later… Mokkun shook his head furiously, refusing to think of that possibility, focusing instead on the tired smile she beamed at him.

"Get going!" He instructed, with a jerk of his head. "Don't worry- I'll protect you…"

"Yeah… I know." Ignoring the pain screaming through her, Yuiko forced herself to move. Strange, how she had so suddenly gotten her second wind. The aches and chill racing in her veins had lessened, even the pain in her ankle had been somewhat subdued. As if Mokkun's presence had somehow eased everything…

"…Of course, it wouldn't have hurt for you to show up, a little sooner." She smirked.

"A little-? Complain a little more, why don'tcha?" He retorted, ears perking up. But there was already a lighter bounce in his step- if she could argue, then she had to be all right.

"I know, I know, I'm sorry." It was a painful laugh, but it was a laugh, none-the-less. "Thank you… Mokkun…"

"Don't worry about that. Let's just get to the shrine, as quickly as we can- before that bastard reappears." His head dropped low to the ground as they moved, the mononoke keeping an easy trot beside Yuiko's slower movements. "He's still around, somewhere…"

"_How right you are, Touda!"_ The ground exploded in frenzy, Mokkun immediately diving in front of Yuiko to protect her- just as the oni had wanted. In the confusion created by his reappearance, he swung his club, connecting solidly with the mononoke. Yuiko heard the crack, saw him go flying into the surrounding rocks and underbrush, at the roadside-

And felt her heart collapse, when he didn't get back up. Shuten'Doji's laughter drowning out all else.

"_Mokkuuuunn!"_ She ran to the mononoke's side, completely disregarding the pain in her ankle and sliding to her knees. His white fur was matted with blood, up by his shoulder, where the club had struck. She wanted to pick him up, but was afraid to touch him, lest he was too delicate to move. "Mokkun! _Mokkun!"_

"Y… Yui…ko…" He snarled through the blood clouding his vision, his head blurred. "What… are you… doing? Idiot… Get… get going! Run! To the shrine! Now!"

"Don't be stupid!" She was practically sobbing in relief- he wasn't dead! "I'm not gonna leave you, when you're hurt like this!"

"I said _go_, girl!" He shook his head to clear his vision, front paws gingerly lifting him back up. "Don't worry about me! All that matters is that _you're_ safe! Now, get out of here!"

"I won't!"

He grit his teeth. "Yuiko…!"

"I _won't!"_ There was finality in her voice, startling even him. Yuiko's red-brown eyes burned with ferocity, their determination unwavering. "I've already lost the rest of my family, Mokkun! I'm not loosing you, too! I'm not leaving you, no matter _what_ you tell me!"

_Why is this… familiar?_ Mokkun kept his eyes fixed on Yuiko, stunned into silence by her outburst. It was foolishness, of course. It was his duty to protect her, to sacrifice for her, if need be. That was what Masahiro had asked of him, and it was his full intention to carry that out… But, Yuiko had called him 'family'… Was he really… that important to her? That she would risk her own life, to stay beside him?

Shuten'Doji's footfalls thundered closer, the ogre's raucous laughter booming off the trees and water. Ignoring the pain in her ankle, Yuiko face him, shielding Mokkun's battered form with her own. But the light burning in her eyes was different- powerful- giving even the mighty king of ogre's pause.

"Hey, Shuten'Doji!" When Yuiko spoke this time, it was a command. "I have something I wanna ask you!"

"_And what is that, Daughter of Abe?"_ He sneered at her, the fangs in his mouth twisting in a lewd perversion of a grin. _"If you think to beg me to spare his life, then I think you shall be disappointed!"_

"No." He was going to kill the both of them, she already knew that. But at that moment, her confidence was completely unshakable. "I wanna ask you just one thing… The Tominaga family, back in Tokyo- was it _you_ who killed them? _Answer me!"_

Mokkun was floored by her bravery- even Shuten'Doji seemed rather taken aback by this sudden change in her. Was it because she was protecting him? Even Mokkun did not have an answer. But Shuten'Doji's pallid eyes narrowed, and he again laughed.

"_Ah… And if I did?"_ He chortled, swinging his great club onto his shoulders with ease, despite the injuries he'd received earlier from Mokkun. _"Alas, I was not the one given the honor of slaughtering them. My master gave that task to another… However… It is to my good fortune that the fool erred. He killed your family, yes- but not you. And now, I have the pleasure of rectifying that mistake!"_

"I see…" Yuiko was eerily calm, as if her new confidence had taken away all fear. "Who was it, then? Give me the name of the demon who murdered them!"

"_Hmph. That is…"_

Yuiko took a bracing step forward. "That is-?"

"_That is a question…"_ The ogre king hefted his club, gripping it with both hands in preparation for a mighty swing. _"That I've no need to answer!"_

The oni swung his club, his aim true. Yuiko stepped backwards, one arm lifting to shield herself, though she knew it would be useless. Mokkun screamed her name- she smiled at him, softly, warmly.

_Don't worry, Mokkun… No matter what, I won't let him kill you…_

"_YUIKO!"_

She closed her eyes, waiting for the blow that would end her life…

It never came.

She opened her eyes to incredible heat, finding herself in the midst of a firestorm. It was overwhelming, threatening to make her pass out from its intensity, but she stubbornly held her ground, peering ahead at the tall form that now stood between her and Shuten'Doji.

He was a man of incredible beauty, bronzed skin over corded muscles. His raiments were those depicted on the mural, loose armor about his waist, secured by a single sash- a draping loin cloth of dusky blue. Pauldrons fastened to his shins and forearms, red markings staining his skin, all the way up his shoulders and decorating his back. His hands and feet were dark talons, as if stained by the weight of enormous sin and regret, and yet they effortlessly held back the wicked club of Shuten'Doji. Around his collar, he wore a chain of lava rock, the dark stones encircling him from shoulder to shoulder. At his head, a slim, golden band secured a short wealth of vibrant, crimson hair- free and wild, yet seeming so soft as if it begged to be touched. What could only be called a hagoromo- a celestial cloth- free-floated about his arms, elegantly curving about his head like a halo.

But most stunning of all were his eyes. Like two glowing embers, they drew her into their depths, devouring her spirit and her breath with their boundless strength.

This was Touda- of the twelve Divine Generals, god of hell's flame. Depicted on Masahiro's mural as truly as he had ever lived… But Yuiko wasn't thinking of the mural, back at the shrine. Seeing this radiant being before her, a different memory was invoked within the high school girl. Of a time long ago, when she had yet lived at Hotaru shrine with her family, and when the zelkova garden had been her own private world. And there, waiting for her whenever she visited, was a lonesome spirit, whose dark hands would wrap around her whenever she cried, whenever she laughed…

Impossibly, unthinkably, she knew this spirit's name- and when his burning eyes locked gazes with hers, it whispered past her lips in breathless worship.

"…Guren-nii…"

~~~~~~~~~~Spacer~~~~~~~~~~

_**Free Talk:**__ Aaaaand, we're back! With the fourth chapter of "Shoujo Onmyouji"! So, how did you enjoy it? To be honest, I'm surprised that I cranked this one out, so fast. All it was at the beginning was "drama, drama, drama!" It was necessary, and it came out right, I think- but I honestly hated doing it. I prefer action and humor, and romance! So, maybe that's why…_

_ Long chapter, though, wasn't it? I told you it would be! As always, I welcome your comments and criticisms, as well as any questions you might have, concerning the story and my plans for it. Don't expect me to give away too much, though. I've so far worked out the details of the story, up to chapter ten- it's looking to be a much longer story than I originally thought! But, I'm cool with that. So long as I can rely on all of you to keep me focused on it, that is!_

_I hope the ending has you excited! I think I like it the best, out of this entire chapter. And seeing as how I don't really want to spoil too much of the next chapter for all of you, I'll just leave you with the title;_

_Guren._


	6. Chapter 5: Guren

_**Shoujo Onmyoji~ **_

A Fanfiction by Miyuki

Based upon "Shonen Onmyoji"

Foreword: I do not own Shounen Onmyouji or its characters all rights belong to the original owners. This is merely a fan fiction for the purpose of fun and entertainment.

_Chapter 5: Guren_

Yuiko opened her eyes to incredible heat, finding herself in the midst of a firestorm. It was overwhelming, threatening to make her pass out from its intensity, but she stubbornly held her ground, peering ahead at the tall form that now stood between her and Shuten'Doji.

He was a man of incredible beauty, bronzed skin over corded muscles. His raiments were those depicted on the mural, loose armor about his waist, secured by a single sash- a draping loin cloth of dusky blue. Pauldrons fastened to his shins and forearms, red markings staining his skin, all the way up his shoulders and decorating his back. His hands and feet were dark talons, as if stained by the weight of enormous sin and regret, and yet they effortlessly held back the wicked club of Shuten'Doji. Around his collar, he wore a chain of lava rock, the dark stones encircling him from shoulder to shoulder. At his head, a slim, golden band secured a short wealth of vibrant, crimson hair- free and wild, yet seeming so soft as if it begged to be touched. What could only be called a hagoromo- a celestial cloth- free-floated about his arms, elegantly curving about his head like a halo.

But most stunning of all were his eyes. Like two glowing embers, they drew her into their depths, devouring her spirit and her breath with their boundless strength.

This was Touda- of the twelve Divine Generals, god of hell's flame. Depicted on Masahiro's mural as truly as he had ever lived… But Yuiko wasn't thinking of the mural, back at the shrine. Seeing this radiant being before her, a different memory was invoked within the high school girl. Of a time long ago, when she had yet lived at Hotaru shrine with her family, and when the zelkova garden had been her own private world. And there, waiting for her whenever she visited, was a lonesome spirit, whose dark hands would wrap around her whenever she cried, whenever she laughed…

Impossibly, unthinkably, she knew this spirit's name- and when his burning eyes locked gazes with hers, it whispered past her lips in breathless worship.

"…Guren-nii…"

The eyes he cast on her were magma pools, swirling with something between apology and relief. They penetrated her, making her breath freeze in her lungs, his presence more overwhelming than the flames he commanded. He looked to Shuten'Doji, hateful ire burning in his gaze, as his talons splintered the oni's club with frightening ease. The king of ogres stumbled backwards in stupefied horror, lest his weapon be reduced to ash- he had long forgotten the terrible strength of Touda.

"Why so surprised? Shuten'Doji." His voice was the seductive rumbling of an open flame, his perfect mouth curling upwards just enough for a single fang to reveal itself. "Didn't you say that I was incapable of defending her?"

"_Pathetic god!"_ The ogre wretched, _"You are nothing more than a masterless shikigami, now! I will kill you and the girl, both!"_

He pounded his club into the earth defiantly, causing the ground to shake and the cement to crack. Yuiko, her injured ankle barely capable of supporting her weight, teetered backwards. But a strong arm secured itself about her waist, supporting her effortlessly. Dark claws seemed to graze her skin through the fabric of her uniform, and he penetrated her again with those molten eyes. In that secure grasp, it was as if nothing in the world could harm her.

"I think not." He returned his glare to the ogre king, his voice dangerously sharp. "I've already told you, oni- you will _never_ so much as lay a _finger_ on Yuiko!"

Shuten'Doji roared, his clawed feet digging scars into the earth as he charged, swinging his crimson club. The ethereal being holding her barely grunted, scooping up her legs with his second arm, and making an impossibly high leap. No, not a leap- he flew, for there was no other way to describe how he moved. She saw the forest far below, the torii gate of Hotaru shrine coming closer as they descended. Her body seemed so light in his arms, it was as if she were floating in water. The ground drifted softly closer, and before she was aware, he had placed her on the shrine steps, his hagoromo whispering as it settled.

"Wait here, you'll be safe inside the shrine's barrier." His deep baritone brooked no arguments, trapping her eyes with his as he loomed over her. Once certain she would obey his command, the shikigami turned, prepared to resume his battle, despite the deep gash along his upper left shoulder.

"…I know you." Yuiko finally spoke, as if broken free of some spell. He glanced back once, meeting her unwavering sight with a slow nod.

"Stay here." He repeated, turning a baleful glare towards the approaching ogre. "_I'll_ handle Shuten'Doji…"

With inhuman elegance, he soared, drifting back towards the battlefield he had rescued her from. And Yuiko's eyes never left him, once.

~~~~~~~~~~Spacer~~~~~~~~~~

_"Cursed shikigami!"_ The ogre king bellowed, his tusks glinting up at the quickly darkening sky. Those stars closest could already be seen in the ever-deepening blue-black of night. _"I'll spill your entrails! I'll soak your precious daughter of Abe in your own, foul blood!"_

"Such strong words, Shuten'Doji!" The taunt came from above him, Guren hovering well above the ogre's head. He reclined as if seated, one leg propped on the other, chin resting in dark talons, while a cruel smirk played across his lips, fangs peeking. "I wonder if you can actually back them up!"

The god of hell's flame regarded the oni coolly, his magma eyes detached with icy intensity. No matter his banter, Guren was no fool. Shuten'Doji was the king of ogres, his malevolence and strength unmatched by any other of his kind. Before, he was defeated by the combined efforts of Seimei and the Juuni Shinshou, bestowing their powers into the sword of Minamoto no Yorimitsu. This time, there was no samurai, no Abe no Seimei, no Juuni Shinshou, other than himself.

But Guren had Yuiko to protect… and that alone was enough.

_"Abhorrent deity!"_ The ogre's club smashed into the mountainside, toppling trees. _"You are nothing more than a pathetic god, whose feeble master has long-since perished! You have no true power, any more!"_

"I see being resurrected hasn't done anything to improve your disposition." He descended to the earth, feeling the solid ground beneath his clawed toes, once again. He always had preferred it, above fighting in the air. "Still relying on brute strength? Really, now…"

Fire ignited in his grasp, and Guren's smirk twisted cruelly. "First attacking Yuiko, now slandering Masahiro… I'll have to make certain you _burn_ for that!" A serpent of flame launched from his fingertips, dancing across the earth to surround the ogre with a wall of fire. With a mighty swing of his crimson club, the oni shattered the flame into sparks.

_"You do not honestly believe your petty flames can harm me, shikigami!"_

"As a matter of fact- yes. I do!" Raw embers burned in his grasp, as Guren charged, taking on the demon's crimson club bare-fisted. The flames at his command ate away at the murderous weapon, the shikigami going blow-for-flow against Shuten'Doji's overwhelming strength. The oni grunted- he was losing ground! Furious, the ogre king gripped both hands tightly about the shaft, swinging it with enough force to shatter stone into dust. Guren met the attack with talons wide and hissing fire, catching the club's head in an open grasp. The impact sent agony rippling through his wounded shoulder, actually causing him to slide back several feet. For a moment, it seemed as if he would be flung, but Guren's grip remained strong, his clawed feet digging into the earth as he pressed back against the monstrous strength of Shuten'Doji.

"Let's see just how petty my flames are _now,_ demon!" He spat a curse out through gritted fangs, his claws digging into the spiked and misshapen head of the club, showering the ground with sparks. With a primordial shout, Guren's hands caught flame, and he heaved- sending Shuten'Doji and his club both hurtling back into the Kibune River. The ogre crashed heavily into the water, stunned… before slowly lifting his pallid eyes to glare upon his opponent.

_"Touda…" _His voice rumbled threateningly, assuring the shikigami that he was far from finished. _"It seems I erred in thinking your powers entirely useless, after all these centuries… But if you think your might will be enough to defeat me, then you are sadly mistaken…"_

Shuten'Doji turned his club on the earth, giving rise to an awful sound. Like the wailing of a thousand-thousand spirits, their tortured cries resounded painfully in Guren's ears, enough to drop the god to his knees. "What- is this?" Guren choked, finding his limbs too heavy to lift, as if the screams of the Oni's crimson club were chains binding his movements. He could see what appeared to be skull-like faces, pushing their way through the club's crimson stains, as if behind a wall of fabric, their mouths and eyes agape. The ogre's laughter hung ominously between them.

_"They are the cries of my many victims…"_ He explained tauntingly, his ground-shaking footsteps slowly approaching the prone shikigami. _"Innumerable sacrifices for the king of ogres, their blood soaked into the wood of my weapon, forever staining it… How I have relished their agony and resentment, as I devoured them! And that hatred now serves me! I have retained their every scream, every cry. Having died so brutally, they are brimming with loathing for the living, their voices beckon my foes to share in their fate! Listen closely, Touda! Let their anguish rend you, let their hatred bind you! And die, as all those before you have died!"_

The club descended upon the hapless Guren, still paralyzed by the vengeful wails of Shuten'Doji's skeletal ghosts. It struck him full on his wounded shoulder, hot agony lacing his veins as he was thrown into the surrounding trees. Limbs cracked and shattered under his weight, splintered wood slicing into his bronze skin. But it was more than the mere blow of the club- smeared with the weapon's crimson stain, the apparition's wailings went beyond their paralyzing screams, leaving him marked for their resentment. Claw-like appendages scratched out of the earth, tearing, biting, as if he were being devoured- just as they had been.

He choked back on the pain ripping itself from his throat, meeting each grasp with fire, each icy talon with scorch marks. Dragon-like flames danced in his claws, as the shikigami burned the accursed crimson mark from his own flesh.

_"Is this all you can endure, god of Hell's Flame?"_ The oni chuckled darkly, his taunt leering. _"And your beginning to our fight showed such promise…"_

"Shuten'Doji… you bastard!" Guren struggled to put even one leg beneath himself, but his energy felt spent, and the wails of the ogre's victims still bound him in place. His enemy's advance was deliberate, relishing the helplessness of the shikigami, his forked tongue licking the blood from the spikes of his club.

_"So much anger from you, Touda…"_ The ogre purred in delight at the shikigami's self-inflicted pain. _"But I am hardly sated… Come, pitiful god, let's you and I play more…"_

Curses pooled in Guren's mind, both at his enemy and his own weakness. Was this truly all he was capable of, after all these centuries? Had his strength waned that much? …Pathetic. That one word rattled inside his skull with the ferocity of a caged beast. He tasted bile, his own bitter disgust with himself. Touda, god of hellfire, unable to even defend himself against the resentful cries of an oni's victims. His fangs bit into his bottom lip, drawing blood. It was pathetic! Shuten'Doji's club was raised, blotting out the slowly brightening light of the stars. Was he truly so weak that he couldn't even protect one girl?

_Yuiko…_

Unacceptable. Cat-like pupils narrowed, talons clenched. Despite the vice-grip the wailing souls had upon him, Guren willed himself to move, closing his ears to their screams and forcing his body to function as he commanded. Every motion met with resistance, bringing himself to stand required every ounce of strength he could muster. It was unacceptable! If he was so weak, he would never be capable of carrying out the duty left to him by Masahiro, and Yuiko wasn't even the one! She was in the middle, caught up in the troubles of a past generation, and its future successor, endangered simply for being somewhere in between the two.

Despite himself, he cracked a smirk. _Things considered, I can't really blame her for being angry about it… _The club was lifting readying for its final blow against him. His struggling having done little more than let him face his enemy on his feet, rather than his knees.

_"Impressive- you can still stand, despite the binding of my spirits' cries."_ Shuten'Doji nodded approvingly. _"You are indeed a worthy of the name of Juuni Shinshou… Die proudly, Touda!"_

He closed his eyes. _At least she's safe, at the shrine…_

"…_Guren!"_

~~~~~~~~~~Spacer~~~~~~~~~~

…Listening had never really been Yuiko's strong point. It wasn't that she didn't _hear_ what the other person was saying, nor did she necessarily misunderstand what they were telling her- she simply didn't agree with them. Especially when it came to her own person. As a strong-minded young woman, she preferred making her own decisions about her safety.

But right now, it wasn't _her_ safety Yuiko was concerned with.

…It was Mokkun's.

The spirit that had rescued her… Was he really the Guren-nii she remembered? Those memories she had of him were so blurred, now. But seeing those magma eyes again had been shock-therapy to her, his gaze seeping into her spirit and dredging those buried feelings from the sediment she had left them under. Even now, their images ransacked her, leaving her breathless with old tears. It had left her in such a state of bewilderment and, dare she admit- euphoria- that she had completely forgotten the danger posed by Shuten'Doji, the pain in her body… and Mokkun.

She hobbled faster, the make-shift wrap she tied about her injured ankle doing little to help support her weight. She doubted wearing both of her socks on the same foot would really do anything more than make her feel lop-sided, but she was desperate for anything that could help brace her- help her move just a little faster. But in comparison to the injury she had seen on Mokkun, the throbbing in her foot seemed so small…

She had seen the flames from the shrine, felt the rumbles of Shuten'Doji's power as it tore through the earth. Was he… was Guren… fighting with Shuten'Doji? He had saved her, before, effortlessly, as easily as he had lifted her up, as a child. Gods… had she really forgotten him, so easily? A shameful grimace crossed her face. First Mokkun, and now… Was she really that pathetic, that she had to be protected like this? It made her so angry, so bitter with herself that she just wanted to throw up. She couldn't do anything for Mokkun or Guren, just like she hadn't been able to do anything for her parents or Yuichi.

Yuiko had had far too much of being helpless.

"Dyahh-umph!" The ground shuddered, causing her ankle to give out on her. She had to put her hands out to catch herself, stones and pavement bit painfully into her palms, leaving tiny scrapes and lacerations. She could feel the edge of moisture rimming her eyes, but Yuiko swallowed it aside, keeping her gaze straight ahead. Why _had_ her balance suddenly given way? Feeling the earth tremble beneath her, she had her answer- She'd finally come far enough back down to see them, the forest alongside of the road looking as if someone had carved into it. Trees were splintered, and some even uprooted, from an incredible force- something being painfully hurled into their midst. Something was hurting her ears, something full of agony and hatred, and the king of ogres loomed at the forests' edge. His crimson club poised on his shoulder, the wicked weapon somehow looking more terrible than it had when she'd first seen it. Were those… faces? And the sound she was hearing, it was as if they were the screeching of nails on a chalkboard, they were physically painful to her ears, making her teeth ache, even from this distance.

Shuten'Doji was looming over the edge of the trees, staring down at something. Seeing the ogre so close put a tremble into Yuiko, making getting back up difficult. The same blinding terror that had gripped her at the train resurfacing, making her heart thunder painfully in her chest. Yuiko gripped the front of her shirt, pinching her eyes shut and willing herself to calm down. _No! I can't let myself be crippled, like this! If I can't get it together, then Mokkun! –And Guren!_

_ Guren…_

She let her eyes settled, just what was Shuten'Doji hovering over? The demon held his club poised, as if her meant to attack. She could barely make out a figure through the dense and broken foliage, crouching as if restrained. His bronze kin was stained crimson, and not from the markings along his arms…

_Yuichi! YUICHI!_

_ Dame, Yui! Don't get any close- __**Grraaughhh!**_

_**Anata!**_

Yuiko was on her feet in an instant, the fear pounding inside of her being overtaken by the voices throbbing inside her head. Guren… She had to get closer. He looked as if it was a struggle even for him to stand. The oni looked ready to put an end to him- if Shuten'Doji saw her, he'd surely direct his attack at her, instead! After all, wasn't _she_ supposed to be his real target? The club was lifting, she wasn't going to make it in time! Cold terror forced the sound of her voice.

".._Guren!"_

~~~~~~~~~~Spacer~~~~~~~~~~

Magma orbs shot open in the call's direction. Even Shuten'Doji's crimson club was given pause. A different kind of rage now filled the shikigami. Seeing her come down along the edge of the forest in a teetering run, still wobbling on her injured ankle, made him anything but relieved.

_"Idiot!"_ The word came out as a hiss, stopping the high school girl dead in her tracks. "I _told_ you to stay at the shrine!"

She moved as if to take another step closer, hands clenched into fists. "How can you tell me that, when you're hurt!"

"And so are you!" He retorted. "I'll be fine- I'm shikigami, I don't heal the way humans do! Now get out of here! Go back to the shrine, where the barrier can protect you!"

"No! I won't leave you to fight him alone!"

"And what can _you_ do?" There was actual venom in his voice, fueled by his desperation to keep her as far from the battle as possible. "Second sight alone isn't enough! Without spells or talismans, there isn't a damn thing you can do in this fight! Now _go!"_

"But, I-"

"I said _get out of here!"_

"I can't…" Yuiko visibly trembled, her red-brown eyes rimmed with tears that wouldn't fall. "I can't! I won't leave you here, alone!"

"Yuiko-!"

"_No!_ I won't go! I won't just let someone else be taken away!"

There it was. It was subdued, but it was still there- the same sort of wild grief that she'd shown back at the true shrine. Yuiko wasn't thinking of self-preservation in the slightest, her fear was based upon the loss of her family. Why hadn't he seen it, before? Yuiko's grief ran impossibly deep, and was causing her something very akin to physical pain. In the face of losing another person, even a demon as terrible as Shuten'Doji barely registered. Seeing his error, Guren had no words that could reach her, through that.

"Yuiko…"

"_Such foolish sentiment…"_ Unfortunately for the both of them, Shuten'Doji was not an enemy to be ignored. With a glint of his pallid eyes, the wailing spirits turned their attention towards the girl, enveloping her with their ghostly breath and screaming in her ears. The icy hands that he had burned away now wrapped themselves about Yuiko's throat, stealing her breath. Her arms dropped heavily to her sides, pinching against her body as if a rope had been tied tightly around her. Guren strained against his own binding spirits, but they had not relented.

"Yuiko!"

_"Ahh, but this is delicious!"_ The ogre bellowed, club still raised. _"You fight so hard to protect her, yet she returns to the slaughter! How completely you have failed, Touda!"_

"Shit… _Shit!"_ The ground burned beneath him, his flames rising in response to his growing fury. His magma eyes seared, his aura burning. Shuten'Doji merely laughed, his forked tongue lolling between his tusks with undisguised maliciousness.

_"Do not fret, Touda…"_ He grinned, slavering in cruel delight. _"My spirits will not kill your precious Daughter of Abe, just yet… After all, I want her to suffer, before I present her to my master. And if it pains her so much to lose those dear to her, then I shall take great pleasure in killing you before her very eyes!"_

The crimson club was raised, the cries of the oni's spirit's reaching an agonizing pitch. _"I shall stain my weapon with your blood- your soul shall never return to the heavens for rebirth! The resentment and hatred of Fire Master Touda shall make a fine addition to my host!"_ His pallid eyes narrowed mockingly. _"A pity you'll never be able to tell me how it feels…_

_ "To burn your beloved Daughter of Abe to ash, with your own flames!"_

Guren did not move. The ogre had no idea of the profoundness of that irony, of the memories those words evoked within the shikigami. Shuten'Doji's club dropped, the driving force behind the blow easily enough to crush stone into powder. Somewhere, he was vaguely aware of Yuiko screaming for him, finding her voice despite the ghostly hands about her throat. But Guren perceived none of these things, recalling only the cold echo of a voice belonging to a pair of frost-blue eyes…

_…Touda… Your existence is a curse…_ _Even without your memories of it, your hands are indelibly stained with the blood of Abe… You will never be free of those sins you have committed, forgiven neither by us nor yourself. You have burned Masahiro, just as you have burned Seimei… and you shall continue to burn them, until the last of Masahiro's descendants are devoured by your own flames…_

Shuten'Doji's club went no further. The wall of flames that arose from Guren's form possessed an intensity that caused even the surrounding trees to catch fire, though they were well beyond the shikigami's reach. The ogre's club rebounded with enough force to send him stumbling backwards, as if it had come into contact with a steel wall.

_"N-nani?"_

"…Poor choice of words, oni…" The menace in Guren's tone was dark, almost sinister. His crimson hair and hagoromo tossed violently, stained by the brilliance of the fires that enveloped his body. There was violence in his molten, dragon-like eyes, the slits of his pupils dilated in cold rage. "You will regret… so insulting the name of Touda…"

For the first time in over a thousand years, Shuten'Doji trembled. _"Hmph! Pretentious deity!"_ His raised his club in defiance, the bloody faces staining its surface shrieking with their master's fury. _"You may yet command your hellfires, but you are still helpless in the grasp of my spirit host! DIE, SHIKIGAMI!"_

Again, the weapon descended. But Guren's magma eyes showed not even the slightest sign of wavering, his gaze penetrating the oni until his face vanished behind its crimson shadow.

It never connected.

The club froze in mid-strike, as if time had come to a stop. A fiery roar erupted, two white-hot dragons twisting about the weapon in a vice-grip. The faces wailing in its crimson stains began screaming again, this time in agony, as Guren's dragons began to devour the weapon, its crimson color changing to the black of charred embers. Shuten'Doji could no longer hold his weapon, as it was reduced to ash, dissipating into flame in his grasp, until he could once again see the burning eyes of Touda.

Yuiko dropped to the ground, freed of the clawing spirits that had been holding her. Strangled coughs and gasps made their way out of her bursting lungs, now freed. The arms that pushed her up were unsteady and weak, but she couldn't tear her gaze away from Guren. His molten eyes were practically glowing the flames wreathing him like a halo. The oni backed away from him with what could only be called terror. There was so much anger in him, his left arm outstretched and claws curled threateningly, a dragon of hellfire dancing from his fingers. But there was something more in his stance and posture than just unbridled fury. To her, it almost looked like… sorrow. And then, there was the deep wound carved into his shoulder, the same one she'd seen before he'd left her at the shrine…

…The same wound she had seen on Mokkun.

"Foolish ogre…." His voice dripped venom, Shuten'Doji backing further and further away from the ball of white-hot flame steadily growing in Guren's grasp. And with each step the ogre retreated, the shikigami advanced with terrible slowness. "I've already told you… You will not lay a so much as a _finger_ on Yuiko… Neither _her_, nor her _children_, nor her _grandchildren…_ You _will not have them!"_

_"You insist on protecting them… such foolish loyalty!"_ The ogre took another step backwards, his clawed foot colliding with the cold waters of Kibune River. _"The gods have been forgotten, in this era, their powers weaken with every passing decade! Yet you waste the last remnants of your strength protecting your wretched master's dying family! You will kill yourself defending them!"_

"You're right… It's entirely possible that I'll extinguish…" Guren growled, the flames in his outstretched hand igniting spiraling around his extended arm. The head of a dragon could be seen gnashing its fiery fangs. "But I protect them… because Masahiro _asked_ me to. My loyalty to _him_ is not something I need explain to a mere _oni_, nor would I expect you to understand it… And insulting him… is the last mistake you've made, in front of me…

_"Burn."_

The dragon exploded from its coil, its brilliance searing the eyes as it descended upon the ogre. Shuten'Doji was wholly consumed by it, its blazing fangs tearing into his throat and pouring fire into his body. The scream that was ripped from him was more terrible than those of host, howling with anguish and hatred. As if even the pain of death could do nothing to stem the demon's rage, he shrieked without pause as Guren's fires devoured him. He began to look something like a burnt-out log, cracks of brilliant, glowing crimson surfacing across his blackened skin. Even the pallid green of his eyes was replaced with the ember-red of the fire god's wrath. The flames spiraled, pulling his ashes into the sky, along with his agonized scream.

_"Damn you… Damn you! …Toudaaaaaaa!"_

Guren watched coldly, until the last of the ogre's ashes had been dispersed by the wind…

~~~~~~~~~~Spacer~~~~~~~~~~

"…Mokkun."

He turned to regard the high school girl on the ground, still propping herself up on the palms of her hands. Her red-brown eyes gazed clearly at the shikigami, inquisitive. "I'm right, aren't I? You're Mokkun…"

Guren exhaled sharply, a clawed hand scratching the back of his head, just beneath his gold band. She had just seen him destroy Shuten'Doji- actually incinerating him before her. But she still wasn't scared of him, her red-brown eyes never leaving him, where others would have already fled.

"In this form, my name is Guren…" A hidden smile tugged at the edge of his mouth, as he knelt before her, offering her a clawed hand. "But you already know that… Don't you?"

Seeing that dark hand held in front of her so openly, Yuiko hesitated stopped by similar memories of those hands fishing her out of the koi pond, or pulling her gently down out of the tree. She took the offered hand, surprised at the ease with which he pulled her to her feet. Looking down, her fingers curled into his palm.

_His hands are… smaller than I remember…_

"So you… you _are_ the spirit I met at the zelkova, when I was little." The nod her gave her was imperceptible, Yuiko's fingers curled tighter, till she could feel the skin of his palm beneath her nails. "It's weird… I didn't remember until… Until I saw you. It was there, sometimes… I'd see your face in my dreams, I think. But I… For some reason, I could never remember your name. But, when I saw you… It just… all came back…

"Hmph!" With Yuiko behaving so timidly, the angry glare she suddenly shot him set Guren back on his heels. Both of the girl's hands shot up to pinch his cheeks- as if she were yanking on his ears, as Mokkun. She snapped irritably. "Why the hell didn't you tell me? What, didn't you think it was important for me to know that you were one and the same? Or were you just mad at me, or something?"

"Oi-oi!" The shikigami plucked her hands from his cheeks, taken aback by her sudden anger. But the embarrassment burning him was much more poignant. "You were a child when I last saw you, I wasn't certain that you'd even remember. I wasn't trying to deceive you, I just didn't have any reason to take this form."

_Because I'm a coward. Because I was afraid of you changing…_

"Now that's just stupid!" She muttered, but her eyes softened as they fell upon the deep gash in his shoulder. Soft hands gingerly touched the crimson-stained skin, unafraid of the blood. "Your shoulder…"

"It'll be fine."

"But, there's so much-"

"Don't worry." He brushed away her concerned touch, dropping a hand atop her short, dark hair. "I told you, I don't heal the way humans do. A few days resting at the zelkova, and there won't be a trace of it left."

"I see… That's good…"

"Hey- Yuiko!" He stuttered forward as she collapsed, her legs giving out as if her bones had turned to powder..

"I'm… okay. I just felt… so tired. My head's… fuzzy…"

Bracing her against himself with one strong arm, he placed a dark claw against her forehead, tracing the mark where her head had been struck. "You probably have a concussion… I should've been there, Yuiko. I'm sorry…"

"Wha-no! It's fine, really! I got this when the train stopped suddenly, that's all!" She tried to push herself off of him, and stand on her own. But another wave of dizziness sent her stomach spinning, nausea making standing an impossibility on her weak legs. "Ah-hey! Waitaminute- Guren!"

"Stop over-reacting." Yuiko found herself scooped up into a pair of strong arms, his dark claws curled protectively as he easily supported her weight. "You can't walk back to the shrine, like this, so just let me carry you."

His gait was smooth and easy, like the pace of a steady heartbeat. Her face flushed. "B-but! What if somebody sees us?"

"On this road? You must be kidding Yuiko." Guren snorted in a bored tone. "No one's going to be coming by- especially not with the train out of commission."

"But, what if a car drives by? Don't you think it might cause an accident, if they see a high school student just floating by?"

"Yuiko, just shut up. You didn't listen to me when I told you to stay at the shrine, so can you just behave, for now?"

He had her, there, and Guren knew it. Without waiting for further argument, Guren sprung lightly into the night sky, hovering above the forest on a direct path to the shrine. Yuiko ceased her struggling, opting instead to settle more comfortably into Guren's grasp. Actually… being carried by the shikigami was far from unpleasant. His skin was warm, encouraging her to unconsciously relax. Given the concussion she already had, she was quickly getting drowsy. But she was also completely aware of the fact that she was being carried by a man (or god) who was essentially half-naked. Yuiko found herself increasingly grateful for the cool night air on her furiously blushing cheeks.

"…Ne, Mokkun?"

"It's Guren, like this."

"Right, sorry… I was just wondering, about what you said before."

"Which part?"

"Well… You told Shuten'Doji that you had promised Masahiro something… Didn't he order you to protect my family? Because you were his shikigami?"

"…Yes and no." He was silent at first. Yuiko got the feeling that her question was painful to the shikigami, and suddenly felt as though she wanted to curl up and hide. However, being caught in the arms of a being flying well above the forest canopy made that impossible. "…Masahiro asked me to protect his descendants, that's true, but it wasn't a command. Masahiro was… He was my master, yes. But he was also… my friend. And possibly quite a bit more."

"Guren…"

"When I met him… He was already Seimei's successor. Only thirteen, and already so powerful… But whenever he looked at me, he seemed… so sad. I, Touda, who was used to being regarded with terror and disdain. At first, I… hated it. It was as if he were pitying me, or something… But the more I stayed by his side, the more I realized that Masahiro trusted me. He never flinched in my presence, and always seemed to want me with him, even for those small, everyday things… He argued with me, he laughed with me… No one had ever done those things for me before, not even Seimei…

"When Masahiro passed on… It emptied me. I had no drive, no vitality… only the numbing pain of his absence… Masahiro had been in agony over the prophecy he had invoked, knowing full well that it would put his children and grandchildren in terrible danger… He could've asked Rikugou, who is far more capable and skilled… Or Ten'Itsu, who has the power to shield and heal… Even Seiryuu… But he asked _me…_ Masahiro trusted me with the safety of his family- his descendants… After all he had given me, it was the very least I could do…"

The way he spoke… Guren sounded not as if he were mourning a friend as much as he did a lover. She couldn't see his eyes, the angle of his head as he looked towards the shrine made that impossible.

"_Because he failed… He put his entire family in harm's way, hoping one of them would be up to the task! What! Wouldn't his pride let him think that someone outside the family line was capable enough?"_

She felt it again, that painful urge to crawl out of his sight. Guren had loved Masahiro- even now, he still mourned him…

"…Yurushite-kure…"

Guren dropped his eyes to her, surprised by the meek tone in the high school girl's voice.

"For what I said… I'm sorry… I shouldn't have spoken of him that way. I was so caught up in my own loss and pain that I never even considered you could be feeling the same… Masahiro died so long ago, but you… you're still mourning him, aren't you? Even after almost a thousand years… I'm sorry…"

"Yuiko…"

She leaned back against his arm, watching the scenery upside-down, her long bangs drifting darkness into her sight. "I'm sorry… I don't… I don't _know_ him... Abe no Masahiro… Who is that? I don't _know_ that name!" Her voice was cracking. Even with her palms now covering her eyes, he could hear her tears, feel her trembling in his arms. "I know… He had his reasons, and I'm sure he tried everything he could! But, I… I can still hear them! My mom's voice on the phone- my little brother in the background. And my dad… All of them… Yuichi didn't even have a chance to scream!

"I couldn't… do… anything!"

…She felt gravity return, and her feet being placed back under her. Wind rustled through tree leaves, encouraging her to drop her hands from her eyes… The zelkova. Guren had brought them to the zelkova garden- the very place they had first met, so long ago. Seeing his tall figure silhouetted against the shadow of the zelkova, the pale star and moonlight haloing the crimson of his hair, his magma eyes seemed even more brilliant. She saw something unfamiliar there, a softness tinged with apology she couldn't read. A dark clawed hand rested warmly on the top of her head, making her feel like the child she had once been.

"Yuiko… Don't you think it's time you let yourself cry for them?" His claws brushed into the silken texture of her hair. "It isn't Masahiro or the demon's you blame for it… It's yourself. But Yuiko… it isn't your fault. You couldn't do anything to help them, no matter how much you want it to be otherwise. Had you been there, you would've only shared in their fates.

"They know how much you loved them- so much that you couldn't forgive your own helplessness, when you lost them. But they don't blame you for that. If anything, I imagine your family's grateful you _weren't_ there. I don't doubt that their last thoughts were of you, and their relief that you were safe. The only thing they'd want for you now… is to stop blaming yourself for something you couldn't control. To keep _living_, and find yourself some measure of happiness…"

_You need to forgive yourself, Guren… Forgive yourself, and… find what it is… you want to live for…_

"Yuiko… It's all right… to say good-bye."

"..G-Guren…" He could feel her shaking under his fingers, the trembling of her hands as she gently grasped his wrist, blocking her eyes from sight and pulling down, as if she could hide under it. Inaudible whimpers escaped her, and two, silvery trails slipped down the sides of her face.

_Yui…ko…_

Once again, she heard her mother's last breath, her name exhaled. But, it was different, this time. It wasn't a question, sounding more like a sigh of relief. As if, in her name, her mother had been trying to convey her all her love, all her pride… saying good-bye. Like she had, every morning before she left for school.

_Call, if your practice runs late._

_Don't forget your lunch!_

_Don't tease your brother so much!_

_And I know it's hard, but try to pay attention in class._

_Take care, dear._

_Your father and I are so proud of you…_

_Yuiko-chan._

A sob escaped, and Yuiko flung herself into the shikigami's chest, burying her face there as the tears started to fall. To say he was surprised was hardly the word- Guren was stunned, staring down at the crown of Yuiko's head with wide eyes. Her shoulders bunched and heaved, and her sobs were muffled, but he could feel the moisture of her tears, the tight curl of her fists against the skin of his chest. Hesitantly, he reached up clawed hands, draping one across her shoulders, while the other continued to gently ruffle her hair, soothingly.

"…It's all right… Yuiko." He muttered, embarrassed and unsure of what more he could say. "…Even if they're gone… I'm here. You won't be alone… I promise…"

~~~~~~~~~~Spacer~~~~~~~~~~

Beep! Beep! Beep!

Six a.m.

Yuiko's alarm went off without a hitch, this time, rousing the high school girl from the very deep sleep she had fallen into. Her eyes were sandier than usual, her mouth dry. And, of course, she ached. _Everywhere._

"Mmm… Gotta get ready…" She muttered sleepily, rubbing the crust from her eyes. She felt so exhausted, as she pushed herself up. But her brain was foggy, and she couldn't quite remember why. Her hand stumbled across the floor towards the alarm clock, its annoying beeping getting on her tired nerves-

_Smack!_

"Go back to sleep."

Keenly aware that she hadn't been the one to hit the alarm, Yuiko turned sleep-drowsed eyes in its direction, following the line of a long, white tail, as it removed itself from the off button.

"Mm… Mokkun…?"

The mononoke was curled very near to her side, cracking open on red eye to look at her. "I said go back to sleep. You were in a train accident, and were up more than half the night with a concussion. You can miss a day of school."

"Mokkun…" Staring that the small, white mononoke slowly dragged Yuiko out of her sleep-drugged state, as her jumbled memory finally put its jumbled pieces into proper order. A faint blush of embarrassment stained her cheeks, but… it was a happy embarrassment.

"Wha-hey!" Mokkun found his comfortable curl rudely disturbed, as Yuiko gathered into both hands, flopping onto her back and holding him at arms' length to stare into his crimson gaze. The mononoke stared back suspiciously. "What the heck's this?"

"So you went back to your mononoke form?"

"Of course I did." He rolled his eyes- was that all? "I need to conserve my power, while I heal. Besides, it's easier to keep tabs on you, this way."

"Aww, but you looked so _cool_ as Guren!"

The warmth of the smile she beamed at him caught the shikigami in a pincer. He wanted to jump out of her grasp, or at least look the other way, but Yuiko's smile held him captive. He was reminded of Masahiro's stupefied reactions to Akiko, whenever the princess smiled at him, and suddenly became very grateful he was in fur, which hid the deepening blush across his face.

"Y-yeah, well!" He snapped, turning his head away. "I told you to rest, didn't I? Your injuries may not be bad, but you still need to recover! So go back to sleep, already!"

"Hmm… okay!"

"Wha- _Yuiko!"_

"What?"

Turning to her side, Yuiko now held Mokkun cuddled against her. The mononoke felt his cheeks burn so much, that he could almost swear his white fur had turned pink. "What are you doing? Who said you could hug me!"

"Hey, it's not my fault you chose such a plushy form!" She giggled. "Besides, I have trouble getting back to sleep, after my alarm goes off. So you get to be my teddy bear!"

"No way! Lemme go, _lemme go!"_

"Aww, c'mon, Mokkun! Just this once?"

She smile again as she pleaded, staring soulfully at him with liquid, red-brown eyes, so full of warmth that he could melt. Paralyzed, the shikigami huffed, and turned away.

"Fine…" He muttered irritably. It was painfully clear that the girl wasn't fully aware of him as a "him", while he was in this form, and that she was squishing him against… well, yeah. Not that it was uncomfortable or unpleasant- quite the opposite, actually- but he'd be damned if he'd ever tell _her_ that.

Besides, he was still reeling after letting her cry on him, last night. He'd encouraged her to release those pent-up feelings of grief, knowing that it was better for her. Told her the things she'd needed to here, things her family would've wanted for her, things Masahiro had once told him… But it came as such a shock to him that she'd choose _his_ shoulder to cry on. He was _Touda!_ God of Hellfire, and embodiment of the aspect of fear! And here was this eighteen-year-old slip of a girl, clinging to him like a lifeline. It was the same feeling he'd gotten when he had first met her, as a child, patting his cheeks and calling him "Onii-chan". Leaving him so befuddled and stupefied by her warmth that all he could do was stand there, and hold her. Like Masahiro, and Seimei before her, Yuiko didn't fear him, and that alone was surprising. But Yuiko had a different effect on him, as well, one that puzzled him to no end, because he just couldn't figure it out. He was reminded of something Masahiro had once said, about how he wanted to protect the smiles of the people he cared for. And Yuiko's smile- and the feelings it evoked in him- made those words echo strongly inside his core.

_I told her to find happiness… The same thing you told me, Masahiro. _His thoughts reverberated inside his skull, the gloom feeling out of place, with Yuiko holding him so comfortably. _But I… I don't deserve that happiness, Masahiro. Nor forgiveness… Yuiko does. And though I am unworthy… I want to protect it. I want to protect her smile…_

_I really am a hypocrite, aren't I?_

~~~~~~~~~~Spacer~~~~~~~~~~

_**Free Talk:**__ Finally! Sorry this episode took so long, everyone. Work's picked up a lot, lately so I haven't had much time to just sit down and type, as I'd like. I've mostly been working on this in the evenings, cranking out a few paragraphs at a time. Unfortunately, it looks like it'll continue to be this way for a while, so please be patient with me! And please keep on me! The more I'm pestered, the more I remember to work on the story!_

_ I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. We're finally past the annoying part of the drama! Not that there won't be more drama, it was just hard for me to write this particular part. What I really like, though, is that now I can start getting into the action! We still have a bit to go, before we start bringing in the other Juuni Shinshou, but I'm looking forward to getting to that point. Yuiko needs to start coming into her powers, after all!_

_ Fun Facts for this chapter- Shuten'Doji is an actual, historic demon that was reputedly defeated by Abe no Seimei, I like to put stuff like that into the story!_

_ Lately, I've been watching the anime "Ghost Hunt", while I've been typing, another series I really like! And it's turning out to be real handy, as it has a few spells and chants that I can actually implement into this, things that relate to Onmyoudo, and such. Nifty, eh? I'm actually thinking of doing a Ghost Hunt/Shoujo Onmyouji crossover, buuut… that's for the future._

_ I don't have the next chapter's title set, yet, so I can't leave you with that. It's something of a filler episode, but filler is still important! Besides, school humor is amusing. Ja mata ne!_


	7. Chapter 6: Tempura

_**Shoujo Onmyoji~ **_

A Fanfiction by Miyuki

Based upon "Shonen Onmyoji"

Foreword: I do not own Shounen Onmyouji or its characters all rights belong to the original owners. This is merely a fan fiction for the purpose of fun and entertainment.

_Chapter 6: Tempura_

Yuiko woke with bleary eyes, smacking her mouth to clear the funky taste it had acquired overnight. It had been a little more than a week since Shuten'Doji was defeated, and the majority of their injuries had healed. Of course, Yuiko's ankle was still in a wrap, having sprained it so badly, but she considered it a minor inconvenience in comparison to the wounds Mokkun had received. But as he had promised, the terrible gash along his shoulder had completely vanished, resting under the zelkova rejuvenated the shikigami's power.

A pity for Yuiko, however, _her_ week had been anything_ but_ restful. The first day, when Mokkun made her stay home, had not panned out in a way either of them expected. She had been rudely awakened a second time- not by the alarm- but by the sound police and paramedics banging down the front door. Having found her discarded satchel, they'd looked her information up in the system to track her down. If not for the light cut above her forehead, it was entirely likely they would've arrested her for leaving the site of the accident, but that little gash made her story of being disoriented and wandering home believable. Of course, they _still_ carted her off to the hospital for two days of examinations and x-rays, much to her chagrin. Mokkun got a kick out of it, especially screwing with the doctor's equipment. Being a spirit and all, he had a rather poor effect on a few of the machines- thankfully, they were only in a minor medical ward, so there was no chance of him messing with someone's life support.

The teachers at school were surprisingly understanding- although, there was really very little they could say against "I was in a train accident". It _had_ made her annoyingly popular for a few days, though, and she was forced to repeat the same lie she'd told the police an innumerable amount of times. Truthfully, she was getting more than a little sick of it.

Still, it was nice to be able to wake up without the nuisance of an alarm, for once. Her tongue rimmed over her front teeth as she tried to remove the fuzz that had grown overnight. Heavy-lidded, red-brown eyes glanced sleepily in the alarm's direction, where Mokkun was curled up, still fast asleep. He seemed to be dreaming of something, because his long tail kept lashing up and down on top of the alarm repeatedly, always in the same spot- atop the snooze button.

It was 7:15, Saturday.

Now, to most kids in other countries, this would be the point they would yank the covers back over their heads, and try to catch a few more hours of sleep, or maybe start getting ready for a day out shopping. But this was Japan, not the States. And Japan, unlike most other high schools, did not have two-day weekends. In Japan, Saturdays were half-days.

She had fifteen minutes to catch the train.

…

At the very least, Yuiko's panicked shriek shook a good layer of dust from the shrine's roof tiles.

"Dammit, Mokkun!" This was only a short while later, as the high school student was sprinting down the steps of Hotaru-jinja in a desperate race to reach Kibuneguchi station before the 7:30 train departed. "What sort of brilliant idea was it to sleep beside my alarm clock?"

"Hey, don't blame me!" Came the irritable snap of a higher-pitched voice in return, sounding strikingly similar to that of a young boy or girl. The white mononoke easily kept pace with Yuiko, four legs being much faster than two. "I can't control the way my tail moves, when I'm asleep! And it's not my fault that you sleep with your alarm next to your head, rather than on a nightstand, like normal people! Besides, _I'm_ not the one who's late!"

"Oh yeah? How 'bout I just chop your tail _off_ for ya? Solve _both_ our problems!"

"Just try it! I'd love to see you try and pass your exams with shredded text books!"

"You wouldn't dare!"

"Wouldn't I?"

Their exchange continued like this, insults and jabs being tossed back and forth between the two of them, all the way to the train platform. Much to Yuiko's relief, the train had yet to depart, but the announcer was already calling for final passengers. Rather than answer the mononoke's last insult, she decided o push for the stairs leading up to the platform, taking them in twos and threes. If she could just clear the steps fast enough, she could make it!

But on the last step, her bum ankle gave out, still having difficulty holding up her weight. She splattered onto the platform- that was definitely the word for the graceless fall that scraped her knees and scattered her satchel's contents. She was lucky enough to catch herself from splattering her face as well, and honestly, her knees weren't that bad, but her ankle was throbbing. It had twisted painfully into her instep, when she fell. Wincing, she snaked a hand down to try and massage the pain away. Mokkun was beside her in a heartbeat.

"What did I say about taking it easy?" His tone was harsh, but his tail brushed over the hand she gripped her ankle with. "You're not one-hundred-percent recovered, yet! You can't push yourself, too much."

"Ah… But, the train-"

"_Eizan Railways is now departing. Please stand clear of the departing train. Again, Eizan Railways is now departing…"_

Yuiko's heart sunk.

~~~~~~~~~~Spacer~~~~~~~~~~

"…And furthermore, Tominaga-san, this is quite a disappointment."

Before the teacher at the gate, Yuiko could only bow apologetically, keeping her eyes on the ground as she bobbed up and down, hiding her embarrassment. Predictably, by the time she arrived at school, after taking the second train, the gate was already closed, with the on-duty teacher hovering about, waiting for stragglers like herself. It wasn't like she actually _wanted_ to be late for school!

"So? What's your reason for this tardiness, Tominaga-san?"

"Ano, Sensei, I- gkk!"

Yuiko half-choked on the sentence she was about to speak. Because there, staring at her from his perch on the teacher's shoulder, was Mokkun. The mononoke glanced curiously at the teacher's face, ignoring Yuiko's fluster. "Boy, teachers these days really take tardiness seriously, don't they?"

"Get down!"

"Tominaga?" The teacher reeled back in surprise at her outburst, his tone warning. How easily she forgot- no one else could perceive the spirit.

"Er- that is, sensei! I had trouble getting down the steps from my house, this morning!" She stuttered, diving back into a boy, her constantly darting back up to Mokkun as he trotted across the teacher's shoulders. "I live at a shrine, so I've got a lot of steps to travel over, but my ankle was bothering me! So, um, when I got to the train station, my ankle just gave out, and I tripped- and I just missed the train…"

_Get off him, stupid!_ Was the look she shot the mononoke, but he blissfully ignored her, leaning down to peer into the teacher's clipboard.

"Jeesh, there's a lot of names, here! Were that many people late?"

"Hmm… Well, it is true that you were caught in that train accident, just last week…" The teacher tapped his pen against the top of his clipboard. "But that's no excuse! You should be aware of your own health, and get up at an appropriate time to allow for it, so you don't over-strain yourself."

"Yeah, that's right!" Mokkun nodded emphatically, leaning forward. "If you had gotten up early enough, you wouldn't have been in such a rush, and you wouldn't have hurt your ankle, this morning!"

The look she shot Mokkun threw daggers. "But sensei, I assure you, my alarm was set correctly- it just didn't go off like it was supposed to, this morning!"

_If I get a tardy slip for this, Mokkun, you'll be losing a helluva lot more than your tail!_

Reading her expression, the mononoke laughed nervously, scratching at his ears with one claw. However, the teacher suddenly leaned forward, writing something on his clipboard- and almost completely throwing Mokkun from his shoulder with the slight motion. He thankfully caught himself, and clawed his way back up, just in time to catch Yuiko's snarky grin.

_You deserved that._

"Oi-oi! Don't move so suddenly!" He swatted at the teacher's pen, sending the object flying, and startling the man. Yuiko blanched to the color of dried pears. The teacher, however, merely looked mildly confused.

"That's strange. I mustn't have had a good grip on it-"

"Ah-hah-hah! Th-that's all right, sensei! I'll get it for you!" Shooting Mokkun an outright venomous glare as she jogged to the spot where the pen had flown.

"Thank you, Tominaga-san, now then." Taking back his pen, the teacher continued his scritching. "I'm writing you a-"

Yuiko held her breath.

"-hall pass."

She hissed an exhale.

"I want you to go straight to the nurses and have your ankle re-wrapped- I saw you hobbling on your way to the gate. You can go back to class, after that." The teacher jerked off a short piece of paper, handing it to her with a stern look. "And this isn't to happen again, understand?"

"H-hai, sensei! Arigatou!" She bowed her thanks, bobbing multiple times as she accepted the hall pass.

"Well! That was surprisingly nice of him wasn't it?"

Once again, Yuiko leveled dangerous eyes Mokkun's way. "Ara? Oh, Sensei, you have a piece of lint on your shoulder- let me get it."

Sensei flinched, looking curiously as Yuiko reached up for the so-called "lint"- only to retract fearfully as an open-palmed slap soared passed his cheek, impossibly fast. It stopped just past his shoulder, a look of violence vanishing from her face and curling into a sweet smile as her hand delicately bent under and plucked an imaginary hair.

"There you go, sensei!"

"Th-thank you…" The teacher sweat-dropped nervously, utterly baffled by Yuiko's actions and her pleased expression as she bowed her thanks a final time, and proceeded towards the school.

She stopped only once to give a slight kick to Mokkun, picking himself up off the ground after Yuiko had launched him from his perch on the teacher's shoulder, his head still swirling. "Let's go, ya drowned rat."

"What the _hell_ was that for?" He snapped up at the high school girl, who was already trotting past at an awkward, hopping speed.

"You do a dance number across my teacher's shoulders, and then have the gall to ask me that?" She accused, retaliating.

"It's not like he could see or hear me! I knocked his pen out of his hand, and he didn't even flinch!"

"And, what? Were you hoping he _would?_ He could've written me up! Honestly… Do you even think, before you do something like that?" Her tone took on a dull note of boredom, the distance in her expression not being lost on Mokkun as she faintly limped towards the nurse's office. He stopped, as Yuiko continued to move ahead, failing to notice the lack of her companion's presence for a few feet. Finally seeing that he wasn't with her, she paused and turned curiously around. "Nani?"

"…Maybe you should go home, for today."

"Eh?" Spinning on her heel, Yuiko tromped back to Mokkun, squatting in front of him and putting a hand to his forehead. "Are you feeling all right?"

"You do realize that I can see your panties, when you sit like that, right?" He snorted dully, ignoring the angry blush she gave him. Instead, he opted to pounce onto her shoulder, since she was now at a reachable level. "You're not completely healed yet, right? You shouldn't be pushing yourself. It'd be better if you just went home and rested- don't worry about school. Today's only a half-day, right?"

Yuiko was stunned. In Mokkun's voice, she could hear the genuine concern. His seriousness made him sound more masculine, his intonation dropping several octaves. Though he never looked at her directly, the stiffness of his small shoulders and the way his ears flattened against his head bespoke his worry. Warmth pooled in her stomach, and a smile found its way to her face.

Reaching up, she yanked one of his long ears, nearly making him lose his balance as she took to her feet.

"Oi-oi! What are you-?"

"Well, I can't say it doesn't make me happy, to know you're so concerned about me." She smiled, tugging gently. "But seriously, you can stop worrying- I'll be just fine! I may not be 100% yet- and I admit, I'm still a little shell-shocked… But I'm not going to let that stop me."

Mokkun snorted, turning his head away while keeping a suspicious, crimson eye on his ward. "Hmph… You say so, but… Eh?"

His protest was cut off as the hand tugging on his ear patted him instead, tenderly ruffling his fur.

"Mokkun. Enough. I'm okay."

There it was, again. That paralyzing smile of hers, that made him feel like an idiot. Mokkun harrumphed and turned his face away. "Fine. Whatever." He said that… but honestly, seeing that smile again had made him feel somewhat better about it.

They continued onto the nurse's office without any further arguments from either party. Of course, when Yuiko got to class, she was still late. And even with the hall pass, was forced to stand in the hall with a very full bucket of water- only one, due to her ankle. Mokkun got a good laugh at her, out of that.

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…Ichijouji is an area in the northeastern section of Kyoto in the hills of Higashiyama. In the southern section of Ichijouji is Hachidai shrine. Founded in the year 1294, and dedicated to the god Susano'o and his mortal wife- Kishiinada-hime- and their eight children, the Hachiouji. It is a peaceful shrine, surrounded by serene trees that block off the bustle of the rest of the city. The legend of Susano'o and Kushiinada-hime is a quite famous in the land of Izumo, where it originated- so much so that Hachidai was erected in Kyoto. The shrine also has a small memorial to Miyamoto Musashi, preserving the pine tree marked by his most famous duel with a sacred shimenawa rope- but this is neither here nor there.

Today, the shrine was fairly quiet, devoid of even basic visitors. The priest and his attendant mikos busied themselves with chores, and paid little attention to much outside the shrine. One girl was running laps along the wooden floors of the inner hall, bent over a wash towel as she polished the floors. Stopping briefly to wipe the sweat from her brow, she dropped the towel back in the bucket, readying for another pass. Her eyes drifted out the open screen doors, a chill wind suddenly blowing in and her thin miko robes doing little to keep it out. Shivering, she quickly got up to shut the doors.

…_Awaken…_

Her hand stopped just shy of the screen- had that been a whisper she'd heard? Her shiver returned, this time stemming from something other than the wind. Not just a chill- the hairs on the back of her neck were standing on end. Something just felt… wrong, to her, as if she were being watched by something sinister, something wicked…

_Awaken!_

She inhaled sharply, her voice freezing in her lungs, as she felt cold fear. It was as if a skeletal hand had penetrated her flesh to grasp her heart. Her legs lost their strength, and she collapsed, her breath coming in short, painfully rapid gasps. Darkness flooded her vision, the floorboards beneath her fingers throbbing with heartbeat-like pulsations. She felt herself being dragged into the shrine by her hair, but with her voice paralyzed, she couldn't scream. Thrown roughly to the floor, the folds of her haori were jerked open, exposing her upper torso.

Most priestesses of these days weren't anything like their historical counterparts, just high school and college girls holding down part-time jobs. A true miko might have been capable of understanding the darkness that approached, even defending against it. But this girl was merely that- a girl. And in its presence, all she could do was tremble and cry. Hot tears spilled down from her sightless eyes, and she tried feebly to cover herself with her bare arms, unbelievable terror shrieking through her, before they were thrown back, pinning her against the cold wood of the shrine floor. She struggled- kicking and twisting in the grasp of whatever it was that held her, until a searing agony ripped through her body. The phantom hand she had felt gripping her heart became real. There was the snap of bone, the tearing of flesh, and the loss of warmth as the blood flowed from her body… She was discarded with less care than trash, her white haori turning a darker red than her miko's hakama. Across the shrine dais, the effigies of Susano'o and Kushiinada-hime were stained with the miko's crimson life, and a sharp cracking could be heard.

_Awaken! And serve me!_

…Something did indeed awaken. With the offering of the miko, eight pairs of glowing, crimson eyes were opened, and a deep hiss resounded from the depths of the earth.

_…Abe no musume…_

~~~~~~~~~~Spacer~~~~~~~~~~

Yuiko jolted, nearly dropping her click pencil, whose metal end she had been absently chewing on, its tip angled upwards by an outwards jut of her lower jaw. Cold sweat seemed to trickle down the back of her neck, and she looked nervously towards the window, scanning for the slightest shadow. What was that, she had just heard?

Noticing the paled look on his ward's face, Mokkun looked up from his comfortable curl on the windowsill, ears perked in curiosity. "Nani? Something wrong?"

Yuiko gave him a mixed expression. They were still in the middle of class, after all, she couldn't exactly answer him during the teacher's lecture. With a quick gesture indicating he should come over, she scribbled on the corner of her notebook paper. The mononoke peered down at her scribbling as she turned them around for him to read.

-_It's nothing.-_

Mokkun's white brow tweaked upwards- he didn't believe _that_ for a second. "Yeah, right. You were probably about to fall asleep in class, weren't you?"

Yuiko's shoulders shot up in tension, her mouth curling in a pout. Twirling the paper around a second time, she started scribbling the most scathing reply she could come up with- at least, until the teacher's ruler slapped across her desk.

"Tominaga-san! Well, you certainly seem to be writing hard- notes for class, perhaps?"

"S-Serizawa-sensei… Eh-heh-heh…" Serizawa-sensei smiled with an eerie sweetness, making Yuiko turn quite an interesting shade of blue, Mokkun thought.

"Well, why don't you read your notes out to the rest of the class? I'm sure they'll be a great help to all of us- ne?"

Blue turned to green- Mokkun had to cover the front of his snout with his paws, or burst out laughing. Yuiko was sweating hard enough to fill the bucket she'd no doubt be holding out in the hallway, any moment now. Of course, she still possessed enough presence of mind to shoot her "protector" a nasty glare.

"Ano… Serizawa-sensei…"

"-Sumimasen, Serizawa-sensei."

Both Yuiko and her teacher looked up, surprised, towards the young man who had stood up at the front of the class. He bowed politely, one hand scratching the back of his head. "Please remember, Serizawa-sensei, that Tominaga-san was recently in a train accident. She may not have been too terribly hurt, but I can't think it would be good for her to put too much strain on her injuries, however minor."

Serizawa-sensei tapped her ruler thoughtfully against her chin, for a moment. "I suppose you're right. Fujiwara-kun… Tominaga-san!"

"H-hai!"

"I suggest you not overlook your sempai's kindness, and start paying attention to the class, rather than your note-writing. Understood?"

"Y-yes, sensei…"

Serizawa-sensei returned to her lecture, and Yuiko nearly collapsed against her desk in relief, shooting daggers at Mokkun's snickering. She did, however, briefly lock eyes with the boy who had defended her, bobbing her thanks. She couldn't see him too clearly from so far in the back, but he smiled back at her, bowing ever so slightly. His eyes hidden behind the window's reflection on his glasses, it seemed that he stared for just a moment longer than was really necessary. Mokkun watched suspiciously as a very faint blush colored her cheeks, shooting an accusingly glare the boy's way.

_Damn. And here I didn't think I'd have to worry about __**that.**_

~~~~~~~~~~Spacer~~~~~~~~~~

"Ugh…"

"…You don't look so good."

"Y'think?" Yuiko gave Mokkun a bland look, her hand half-way extended towards the leeks. School had let out about an hour ago, and Yuiko, relieved to be free of any more potential discipline, had immediately hurried to the supermarket to buy groceries as an escape. The stress of the day- even though a half-day it had been- had begun to take its full toll on the high school girl, and was easily readable as she weakly went about gathering basic necessities. Mokkun had continued to watch her in suspicion, since their initial turn about in class.

"..All right, don't you think it's time you told me what was _really_ bothering you, earlier?"

"Eh? Well, I…" Yuiko stopped, just shy of grabbing a daikon radish. What _had_ been bothering her, back in class? A sweat drop of confusion bled out of her brain. "I'm not… really sure. I just felt for a second like I'd heard someone calling me. And then, I felt – I dunno… A chill, or something. It made me nervous."

"Hmm…"

"Hey, I'm serious!"

"I believe you." Mokkun shrugged indifferently, his expression serious. "What worries me is that it might've been more than just a feeling."

"Eh? But I didn't see anything!"

"Just because you saw nothing _then_ doesn't mean something isn't _coming._" He leapt down from her shoulders, claws pattering on the tile floor. "You're a descendant of the Abe bloodline, and you already possess the gift of second sight. It isn't impossible to believe that you might have inherited some other precognitive abilities, as well."

"Seriously?" She dropped the daikon into her basket, absorbing what Mokkun was saying. "So, then you think what I felt back in class might be…"

"A warning- possibly."

_…He's not looking at me…_

She could understand that he was worried, after the battle Shuten'Doji. Mulling over it, though, she recounted that Mokkun had a tendency to get sulky and quiet, when something worried him. "Brooding" seemed the more appropriate word, in fact. Not that she didn't appreciate his concern, but Yuiko disliked seeing that dark expression cross his face. In fact, when reflecting on it- other than their occasional spats and his chuckles at her expense, Yuiko couldn't say that she'd ever really smile- even once.

"Ne, Mokkun?" She leaned over, hoping to change the conversation's course. "What would you like for dinner? I was thinking of making nabe."

"Dinner, eh?" He responded half-heartedly, not particularly interested. She had to get him to stop withdrawing so much.

"Well, yeah!" She said it louder than necessary, but she just ignored the odd looks the other shoppers gave her for talking to herself. "After all, didn't you say that spirits need offerings? It would be unfair if I just made what _I_ wanted for dinner, every night!"

"Hmph…" Yuiko was too predictable. He could easily see that she was trying to distract him- her voice entirely too loud. Just like Masahiro… How often had he tried to cheer him up like that? After he'd made a mistake, and allowed the young onmyouji to get hurt? How easily the youth had gone out of his way to make a public fool of himself for the sake of his shikigami…

"…Tempura."

"Eh?"

"I said tempura. What, don't you know how to make it?"

_So, he's finally relaxing a bit… good._ Yuiko straightened, grinning. "And just who do you think you're talking to? Or have you been eating somebody else's cooking, lately?"

"I've been wondering about that- how did a tomboy like you wind up with such a domestic hobby, anyway?"

"I wouldn't really call it a hobby- I just like good food."

Returning home afterwards was relatively pleasant for the both of them. If one ignored the fact that she was talking to a protector-deity in the form of a cute and exceptionally soft-furred mononoke, Yuiko could actually say that their conversation was pretty… normal. She told him about her cooking, how she and her mother would always work together to make tasty meals on their family's small budget, while splurging on odango at the grocery store. She even bought a few sets of dumplings for the both of them to enjoy on the train ride back. Granted, it must've looked weird for the other passengers as she held out one set while munching on the other, and yet both sticks were finished at the same time.

By the time they got to the shrine's steps, Mokkun seemed to have completely forgotten the strange feeling she'd mentioned having, before… A pity it wasn't to last.

"Miko-san! Miko-saaaan!"

Yuiko and Mokkun both looked up in surprise. By now, Mokkun was more than used to the way lesser demons would suddenly rain down out of nowhere- he had experienced it enough with Masahiro. Yuiko, sadly, was _not_ so experienced with it. So when the tiny spirits dropped themselves onto her shoulders quite suddenly, Mokkun had already cleared the area. If not for the heavy grocery bags she was carrying, she might've been able to stay standing. But instead, Mokkun watched as a hand clawed its way out of the demon-dog pile towards him.

"Mokkun-teme!" Yuiko cursed, trying to drag herself out from underneath the mass of lesser demons bouncing on top of her.

"Ah, gomen, Yuiko." The mononoke shrugged. "It was just instinct."

"Instinct my ass!"

The spirits, as usual, were incredibly happy to see her- not that Yuiko could fathom why. "Tadaima, Miko-san!"

"Tadaima, tadaima!"

"Miko-san! Miko-saaan!"

"Miko-miko-miko-"

Yuiko grimaced, gently plucking a three-horned, orange demon from between her shoulder blades to glare at him sternly. _"Miko yuuna!"_

Mokkun blinked at that one, before doubling over in laughter. The entire scene, and now Yuiko shouting _that_, of all things! It reminded him so much of Masahiro that it was almost painful. Of course, Yuiko was giving him a death glare to beat all death glares, her red-brown eyes heavy-lidded. But Mokkun just couldn't stop laughing- it wasn't long before his sides started to hurt.

"Ano… M-miko-san?"

"Hm?" Yuiko looked to the demon she held by the scruff of his neck, her eyes half-shut in irritation. "Uh? Hey, now… what's wrong with you guys?"

Now that she was devoting her attention to them, Yuiko noticed something very off about the lesser demons' behavior. The way they were clinging to her, shaking, their excitable expressions at her return- as if they were relieved. They were scared of something.

"What's going on? Why are you all so frightened?" The concern in Yuiko's voice forced even Mokkun to get himself under control. The three-horned demon gently grasped her wrist, pleading.

"Onegai, Miko-san, you must come with us!"

"Please- our comrades!"

"Something attacked them!"

"You must come- quickly!"

Yuiko and Mokkun shared a look of apprehension, before the high schooler let the lesser demons pull her into the forest surrounding the shrine. They led them along paths unseen, animal trails that disappeared so completely into the underbrush that one couldn't even be certain of where they were walking, until their foot came into contact with the earth. It was much like the trail Mokkun had originally led her on back to the shrine steps, when they'd first met (or met again, depending on how you looked at it), and Yuiko couldn't help wondering how many more such trails existed within these woods.

They came to a short clearing, shaded by the overhead canopy and heavy with mushroom growth. In the back of her mind, Yuiko had a sneaky suspicion that these were laughing mushrooms, but that was hardly of importance, now.

Not with the bodies of lesser demons littered among them.

She felt her throat catch with sorrow, seeing those spirits attending to the remains of the fallen, their every motion filled with sadness. Mokkun stood beside her, bumping into her leg reassuringly. He looked to the demons that had guided them, his voice deep with seriousness.

"What happened, here?"

The three-horned demon shuffled over, shaking his head. "Something came… Like a shadow, it was. All darkness and blood and wicked fangs… It tried to penetrate the shrine's barrier, and when it couldn't… It killed those of our comrades who could not make it inside the barrier in time…"

"So it tried to break inside…" His ears went flat, his crimson eyes dark. "Then it could only have been here, to look for the descendant of Abe's bloodline… That confirms it.

"The seal on _him_ is weakening…"

There was shuffling beside him, as Yuiko dropped to her knees, her red-brown eyes pained.

"Yuiko? Daijoobu?"

"I guess… It wasn't just a feeling after all…" Her hands clenched the front of her uniform, gripping the black necktie strongly enough to blanch her knuckles to white. She looked nauseous, and the mononoke quickly leapt atop her shoulder, curling his tail around her neck reassuringly and tickling her cheek. One hand came up, and Yuiko gently grasped his paw, squeezing the tiny appendage as if it could stop her shaking…

~~~~~~~~~~Spacer~~~~~~~~~~

There was no conversation, on the way back to the shrine. Yuiko remained staunchly silent, gathering their groceries and walking up the steps with colorless motion. Even after getting back to the house, she said nothing- merely kicked off her shoes and proceeded towards the kitchen to start cooking dinner. Mokkun had wanted to start patrolling the shrine, to see if the barrier had been attacked from any other angles- but that could wait. Yuiko's morose quiet was far more worrisome to the mononoke, at the moment.

He sat on the edge of the kitchen counter, watching as she whisked up a thick mixture of tempura batter beside a heating pot of frying oil. Her motions were practiced, but just that- motions. More like those of a marionette than those of a person paying attention to what she was doing. And while she could till clearly cook while distracted, where her mind really was he could easily guess. After all, it wasn't fear or anger that had burned in her eyes, ever since they had left that clearing- it was self-hatred.

"Yuiko…" His tone was gentle, but warning. "I can tell what you're thinking- forget it. There's nothing you can do to help them."

The whisk stopped in the bowl, a grimace of frustration pouting her lips. "How can you tell me to forget it, after seeing something like that, Mokkun? They were ripped apart! _Eaten!"_

"They're safe within the barrier- they know that. And they know that when they leave it, they run the risk of being attacked."

"But that thing wasn't after _them_, it was after _me!"_

"Yuiko…"

"I'm right, aren't I?"

He sighed heavily, head dropping between his shoulders. The girl really was too stubborn for her own good. "It's probably a safe assumption, but there's no way of being absolutely sure."

"And if it was?"

"…Then it'll be back."

Locking stares with him briefly, Yuiko turned herself back to the task at hand, dipping shrimp and other pieces of meat into the batter before dropping them into the oil. They sizzled defiantly, bobbing to the surface, but she held them down with a long pair of chopsticks designed especially for cooking. "…And it'll attack them again." She muttered, her eyes half-lidded with pain. "Not just them, but anyone who's around me, won't it?"

"…You don't have to worry, Yuiko." She felt paws on her shoulder, soft fur beside her cheek, and turned surprised eyes at Mokkun's face, now so very close to her own. "I know how much you hate seeing others suffer… but Yuiko, it's not your fault. You shouldn't blame yourself for something that's outside of your control. I'll protect you. And I'll do my utmost to make certain that no one nearby gets hurt, as well."

Her eyes rimmed with warm tears. Mokkun- he was being so gentle, so comforting- his tail curling softly on her cheek, like fingers brushing away her tears. A faint blush stained her skin, it made her both happy and relieved to have him beside her, protecting her… But seeing the torn bodies of lesser demons had put another, ugly thought into her. One that scared her far more than any demon that might come after her.

She knew Guren would protect her, she hadn't the slightest doubt of that.

…But what was there to stop those demons from attacking _others_, to get to her? Like the lesser demons? Or her classmates?

…Or worse… Guren, himself?

…

Hot oil sizzled, as she pulled the cooked pieces of battered shrimp from the heat, and laid them on paper towels to cool down and dry off…

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_**Free Talk:**__ Hey! I managed to finish this chapter in a semi-decent amount of time! Who knew? It makes me happy, though!_

_ Okay, so I finished watching Ghost Hunt for the thirty-thousandth time- man do I wanna do a crossover, now! But, I really need to save that for when I get further into the story, and finish it. If I did do a crossover story, though, I think I'd have Yuiko be Mai's former sempai before she moved back to Kyoto, and it would be based after Gene's funeral. I just can't deside if I'de use "Pre"-Yuiko (Before the murder of her family), "Post"-Yuiko (After everything's over & done with, & Guren's super flirty/possessive of Yuiko), or current Yuiko (as in about half-way through the story, she has awakened some shikigami, but not all.) Any thoughts from the readers?_

_Fun Facts! Odango are a type of sweet and chewy rice dumpling, typically served with a sweetened soy sauce topping. They are served three or four on a long toothpick, and you just bite them right off. I had my first try of them in Little Tokyo (L.A.), and MAN, were they good! I may not have had much fun at AX this year, but the food was the best!_

_As always, thank you so much for your comments, favorites, and alerts. I welcome any and all comments, be they positive or negative- can't improve otherwise!- and encourage you to keep commenting, so that I stay motivated! Next episode (funny how I think of these as episodes) we meet a new character (no, not Juuni Shinshou, not yet, anyways), ad Yuiko starts to get into the action! Until then!_


	8. Chapter 7: Serpents in the Garden

_**Shoujo Onmyoji~ **_

A Fanfiction by Miyuki

Based upon "Shonen Onmyoji"

Foreword: I do not own Shounen Onmyouji or its characters all rights belong to the original owners. This is merely a fan fiction for the purpose of fun and entertainment.

_Chapter 7: Serpents in the Garden_

_…Inhale. Extend the right palm forward, while retracting the left fist to the side. Then out- down- and return to opening stance. Exhale._

It was early morning at Hotaru shrine, mid-week. And as she had been every day since finding those injured lesser demons, Yuiko was awake.

Her ankle had healed completely not too long ago, finally allowing her to move like she used to. With that freedom restored, Yuiko had ceremoniously been getting up before the sunrise. Each day, she would fish her training gi out of her belongings from her previous high school in Tokyo, and in donning the item, proceed to the shrine's second hall for morning exercises. Hands and feet properly taped, her arms would dip and knees bend as she went through the motions of her kata, over and over.

Yuiko had started taking martial arts classes as a child, after they had moved to Tokyo. Her father had thought the outlet would encourage her to stop talking to her "imaginary" friends, and make some real ones- but even he hadn't expected the level to which Yuiko would take to Kempo. Throughout junior high, and up to her senior year in her previous high school, she had been among the top-ranked fighters in both schools, even reaching a national championship or two. After her family's loss, however, Yuiko had severely neglected her practices. Not that it wasn't understandable, but after her first run-through in more than six months, she was made painfully aware of just how out-of-shape she had become.

It wasn't so bad, now. After seven grilling days of forcing herself up early for morning exercises, she was starting to get her flexibility back. The throbbing of her muscles wasn't so bad anymore, either- except on those occasions when she added in another set to the routine, then they would scream agony at her when she woke up. But no matter how much her body begged for it, she couldn't let herself rest. Not until she had herself back up to peak condition, or better.

Not while her mind was still filled with those images...

"I'm surprised." Mokkun drawled, curled up by the dais of the second hall, which she was using as an interim dojo. "As much of a klutz as you are, I was sure you'd have hurt yourself, by now. But it seems you actually have some skill at this."

Her hands swept open and upwards, slowly descending as if she were pushing down on a flat surface. Her feet slid back in, standing rigid, as a final, calming exhale left her lungs- to be immediately followed by a dull-eyed raspberry in Mokkun's direction. "It's just warming katas- nothing but basic stretches." She retorted, snatching up a towel she had lain nearby to mop up the sweat that drenched her forehead. Her short, feathered black hair was scrunched up into a ponytail- more like a pony-nub, really- and her skin was drenched in warmth. She was looking forward to her bath. "I'm so out of shape, right now, that I can't do much more than a half-hour of hard practice. And I _used_ to be the club vice-captain- it's pathetic!"

There was more edge to her words than she intended, a slip that did not go unnoticed by the shikigami. Even as she marched out of the second hall determinedly towards the bath, towel around her neck, he caught the distance in her eyes as she stared towards the floor, rather than straight ahead. His crimson eyes followed her warily- she hadn't forgotten about what had happened to the lesser demons. Not that he could really expect her to, but given her reaction at his last fight, he was more than a little concerned. Yuiko seemed to forget her own self-preservation, when it came to others. If she was as absorbed in her worries for them as she had been for him, then…

He'd need to be vigilant.

~~~~~~~~~~Spacer~~~~~~~~~~

"…Do you have to bunch your shoulders like that? There's little enough room to sit up here, already."

"Well, excuse me!" Yuiko hissed a whisper sharply at Mokkun, perched atop her taut shoulders. "I'm not normally at school this early! So sorry if I'm a little tense! Or do you have some sort of natural aversion to walking on your own? Last I checked, my shoulders weren't a carpool lane!"

Tense wasn't the word, as far as Mokkun was concerned. Yuiko's head was ducked so far between her shoulders that he scarcely had room for two paws on one- let alone the haunches he was somehow managing to squeeze in as well. Her hands clenched the handle of her satchel in front of her skirt- essentially a demure gesture, but the black, fingerless weight gloves she was wearing tended to throw it off. "You're the one who took the early train, idiot- and what's with the funky gloves? You planning on starting a fight in class?"

"They're just basic training gloves." She growled in response, holding up a fist. "See? They grip and tighten- just like when I wrap my hands with sports tape. Not only that, but they're equipped with weights. By wearing them normally, I accustom myself to carrying more weight in my arms, so when I take them off, my overall upper torso strength will be greater."

She threw an experimental punch forward, Mokkun's ears just dropped. "Good for scaring off potential boyfriends, eh?" Yuiko's eyes narrowed.

"How about for tossing drowned rats?" She countered flintily, flicking him in the forehead to emphasize her point- knocking him from her shoulder in the process. The mononoke rolled less-than-gracefully backwards, before finally spluttering to a halt on the pavement.

"Oi-oi! Is that any way to treat your guardian?"

Yuiko ignored him, opting instead to jog ahead to the shoe lockers at the school's entrance. Mokkun had been nothing but irritating, lately, hovering over her with snide commentary and insults. "Baka-shikigami…" she muttered to herself, as she replaced her sneakers with a pair of classroom slippers, tapping her toes on the ground to make certain they were solidly on- or perhaps preparing for the punt she was going to give Mokkun, the next time he pissed her off!

"…Excuse me, Tominaga-san?"

"Eh?" She looked up in surprise at her name. She hadn't spoken with too many people in her class- not that she didn't get along with them. But they were all seniors, and all focused more on studying for college entrance exams than worrying about a new student in class. However, the boy she now found herself locking gazes with was vaguely familiar. "Wait… Aren't you that boy who intervened with Serizawa-sensei for me, yesterday?"

"Ah, so you remember!" He laughed, putting a hand behind his neatly cropped medium, red-brown hair. It was neatly styled, with long bangs that swept into his warm eyes, kept just slightly out of his face by the glasses that smartly framed his handsome face. He seemed like the studious type, but was still a good two inches over her own height of five-foot-six. "Sorry to trouble you- I was just surprised to meet you, in the morning. You normally don't arrive until, well, later."

"Yeeaahhh…" Her response was drawn out, a vein popping out in irritation. _"Later"- because of a certain shikigami hitting my alarm's snooze button with his tail!_

"This is great, though! I was hoping for the chance to speak with you."

_Wait… he was?_ A faint blush tinged Yuiko's cheeks. "Sorry, but- who are you, again?"

"Ah, I'm so sorry- how impolite of me! I shouldn't expect you to know me, after all, this is the first time we've really spoken." He bowed slightly, and when he smiled, Yuiko's blush increased ever so slightly. "My name is Fujita Toshi. I apologize for coming forward so suddenly."

"…All right, Fujita-sempai. What was it you wanted to talk to me about?"

"Oh, please- you can just use my given name. Toshi is just fine, using my family name is too formal. And I'd hardly consider myself your sempai, when you're older than I am."

"…Toshi-kun, then." Why did she feel so embarrassed about this? Granted, people didn't just call someone by their given name without some sort of name-suffix. That was reserved only for intimate relationships. (As for Mokkun/Guren calling her just "Yuiko", and vice-versa, she wasn't even going to go _there_. He'd known her since she was four, so that was excuse enough.) "So, then, what is it?"

The first bell rang, indicating that class would be starting soon. Those students that were still milling about chatting now began to filter towards their classrooms, bidding friends a "Ja mata" for until later.

"Ah, seems class is about to start." Toshi-kun lamented, managing to look sheepish. "If it's all right, Tominaga-san, can we continue this later? At lunch, maybe?"

"Uh… Sure, I guess."

"Thank you. I look forward to our conversation, Tominaga-san. Until then."

"Until then." He bobbed his head apologetically, and she waved a slight farewell, still needing to put her sneakers in her shoe locker. As she turned the lock shut behind them, however, her hand froze, as she began to absorb what had just occurred.

_…What was that? Was I… blushing? The entire time? What the hell!_

"What the _hell_, Yuiko!"

"Ah! Oh, it's Mokkun…"

"That's right- who you _dropped_ back in the middle of the courtyard!" The mononoke snapped, his long tail bushed out and lashing in outrage. "Do you have _any_ idea how hard it is to get around at this size, when there are _that_ many students walking around? _Do_ you?"

"Oh, you're not dead." She drawled, tossing her satchel over one shoulder as she started walking towards the classroom. "…Mm?"

"What, ya gonna kick me now, too?" A highly annoyed Mokkun glared at her, but stopped when he noted her searching expression. "…Nani, Yuiko?"

"…Nothing, I guess." Red-brown eyes scoured the courtyard, finding nothing. "I thought I heard… nah. It was probably just my imagination."

"You mean like how _I'm_ your imagination?" Red-brown eyes narrowed at the testy response. Hands dropping onto her hips, Yuiko leaned indignantly over the mononoke, whose crimson glare did not back down in the slightest.

"Oh, come off it, already! It's not like you got trampled, or anything!"

"And how do _you_ know?"

"You're a spirit, aren't you?"

"Key word- _spirit!_ Not _ghost!_ I don't pass through solid objects! Just 'cuz someone can't perceive me doesn't mean they can't _kick_ me!"

"So kick 'em back."

"Does that mean I can kick _you?"_

"Just try it!"

The sounds of their argument faded as the two of them disappeared into the school building, leaving only the rustling of the wind through the courtyard trees.

…Where a pair of glowing, bloody eyes slithered out of sight.

…_Abe no musume…_

~~~~~~~~~~Spacer~~~~~~~~~~

"Ma~ah! I really hate math class!"

Yuiko dropped herself onto the pavement of the school's roof, reclining her back against the chain link fence at its lip. Jumping up to sit beside her, Mokkun tweaked up a brow as the high school girl began rubbing her shoulders like an old man, her eyes half-lidded with sleep as she yawned widely. He sweat dropped.

"If they're so boring, then why are you bothering to take these classes again?" Mokkun curled up onto his front paws as he watched her fiddling with the kerchief tied about their obento. "You already took all this stuff, last year. You _could_ just stay at home, and take cram school for your studies. I don't get why you're even bothering to do this."

"How many times you gonna make me repeat myself?" Yuiko grumbled as the kerchief knot came undone in her hands, her eyes flat. "I'm repeating it 'cuz I want to, all right? Let's just leave it at that."

"If you say so." He yawned, extending a paw forward to snatch one of the octopus-shaped wieners out of the top of Yuiko's lunch with long claws. "It's not like another year of school is gonna make you any less dumb- but at least you took off those stupid gloves for class- ow!"

Yuiko tugged harshly on one of his long ears, forcing the mononoke to look her straight in the eye. "How 'bout I show you just how effective those training gloves are, eh?"

"Tominaga-san!"

… Yuiko and Mokkun both shared a confused look at the sound of someone calling her name, their argument interrupted. Peering up suspiciously as Yuiko straightened the way she sat, Mokkun recognized the boy from the other day- and his ears lay flat against his head.

"…Who the heck is that?"

"Ah, Toshi-kun!" Nervous, Yuiko waved faintly in response at the young man coming out of the rooftop exit, still feeling a bit embarrassed about their exchange this morning. And the glare Mokkun was shooting her didn't make her feel any more comfortable- guilty seemed more the word. Then again, as nasty as he was being lately, it was hardly as if she owed him an explanation. Instead, she simply "hmph!"ed, and turned away, garnering an annoyed growl from the mononoke.

"Oi, Yuiko!"

"When you came up here without me, I was afraid you might've forgotten our earlier conversation." Yuiko bobbed apologetically to Fujita, ignoring the mononoke that was now glaring at her with hackles raised.

"Yeah, I did a little- sorry about that."

"It's all right, I hope you don't mind me joining you now, though."

"_Yes, we do!"_

Yuiko gestured, as if inviting Fujita to sit- discreetly smacking Mokkun atop the head with the back of her hand, at the same time. "No! It's fine."

"That's good- I'll just have a seat, if you don't mind." Her classmate bowed to her slightly, before lowering himself to lip of the roof beside her.

Atop Mokkun.

Quite suddenly, the mononoke found himself sandwiched between the chain link fence and the unfamiliar back of Fujita. Though she'd been stubbornly refusing to look at him up until that moment, Yuiko's face now went quite pale. She couldn't decide if she should be concerned or start laughing, but the sweat drop alongside her head grew considerably when Mokkun started to turn purple from lack of air, and Toshi failed to notice the lumps clawing desperately at his back in the slightest.

"Well, then, Tominaga-san." He sat forward, dropping his elbows onto his knees, and allowing Mokkun to take a deep, shuddering intake of air. "I hope you don't mind me prying, but I overheard from some of the teachers that you lived at a shrine- at Mt. Kurama-san, I believe?"

"Er, yeah, I do…" She gave Fujita a sidelong glance, as Mokkun attempted to yank his tail free from where it had been pinched under her classmate. It baffled her how he couldn't notice it- Mokkun was even going so far as to kick him in his seat, but Fujita never even flinched. And it wasn't as if his small claws were passing through him, either. More than simply not seeing, it was if Fujita couldn't even _perceive_ the mononoke. And with him sitting beside her, she couldn't make any motions towards helping Mokkun free himself, without it seeming forward. She morbidly wondered if Fujita would notice anything, if Mokkun decided to bite or scratch him.

"Ah, that's great!" Fujita laughed, clipping Mokkun's nose with his elbow as he scratched the back of his head, embarrassed. Yuiko winced for her "guardian". "So I'm not the only one, any more."

"Eh?" Yuiko tilted her head to one side, perplexed. "Only one? What do you mean?"

"Oh, sorry, I should've explained- you see, my family also runs a shrine."

Yuiko and Mokkun both blanked out in shock, as if someone had just sounded their death bells.

"My father is a priest, and he's training me to follow in his footsteps, but it's been pretty lonely. Throughout all my school years, I've never even met someone whose family has been under a similar circumstance. Even the miko who work for us are just pre-college girls putting themselves through cram school. So when I heard that you lived at a shrine like I do, I was really excited. I thought that I finally had someone I could talk to about those sorts of things."

Shikigami and high schooler shared an unnerved look, sweat drops forming aside both their heads. _Again_, with the miko-thing?

"So, tell me, Tominaga-san. Are you also being trained as a miko? Or does your family simply work as mediums?"

The eagerness in his expression made Yuiko almost want to inch away, Fujita-kun was looking at her with so much hope. It was making her feel rather guilty. "My grandfather was the shrine's last priest- now there's just an attendant priest who drops by on occasion. I just act as the care-taker."

"Ohh, I see. So you don't have any formal training, then."

"Nope- I'm just an average girl after all- sorry."

"Oh, I wouldn't say that, Tominaga-san!" Fujita-kun laughed nervously, briefly looking away in an effort to hide the slight blush creeping over his cheeks. "I _definitely_ wouldn't say that…"

Yuiko's eyes turned accusing. "Are you saying I'm weird?"

"Wha- no, no! Of course not!" He waved his hands defensively, as if he could ward off the misunderstanding. "Wait- I know! How would you like to learn Norito?"

Yuiko blinked. "What the heck is Norito?"

"Traditional Shinto incantations- they're used in exorcisms and cleansings and stuff. My dad drills me on them, every morning." Fujita scooted a touch closer. "I could teach you what I've been learning, then you could start working as a miko at your family's shrine, if you wanted."

It seemed she was hearing that miko-bit _everywhere_, these days. Only, she couldn't decide if she was annoyed by it, or just frustrated that she wasn't meeting anyone's expectations. Interpreting her off-side glance as consideration, Fujita-kun continued. "I have to tell you, it isn't something just anyone can do. You have to be a medium, for any incantation to have effect. But, you're from a family of shrine-keepers, too, so I'm sure you'll be fine."

Mokkun about doubled over in outrage, finally managing to yank his tail free. Hearing that load of crap, coming from such a spiritually insensitive moron was enough to make him gag- and to make matters worse, Yuiko only seemed to be encouraging him! _That does it…_ Crimson eyes flat with anger, the white mononoke lunged forward, jumping off the roof lip and circling around to allow himself to get a better look at the bespectacled student's face. He had every intention of pranking the bastard, and Yuiko's panicked reaction only gave him a feeling of satisfaction. She started to reach for him, but he was already out of her range. And as long as "Toshi-kun" was around, she couldn't make any motion towards stopping him, without embarrassing herself. The blatant smirk he gave her was responded to with a look that promised violence later, but as she had been doing since Fujita arrived, Mokkun simply ignored his eighteen-year-old ward, focusing instead on the problem at hand.

"…Eh?"

Mokkun blinked, rubbing his eyes, as if something were screwing with his vision. Something about the boy was familiar to him, in a way he couldn't possibly believe. For a second time, he looked at Yuiko's classmate, peering so close that his crimson eyes squinted. The jaw-line, the slope of his nose, even the angle at which his bangs swept across his face. The face of Fujita Toshi was so eerily similar, there could be absolutely no doubt. No matter how many times he rubbed his eyes. A name spluttered past his lips, all thoughts of pranks dissolving beneath the absurdity of his discovery.

"_Toshitsugu?"_

~~~~~~~~~~Spacer~~~~~~~~~~

"All right, Mokkun- what the hell was that, earlier?" Tugging on the mononoke's ear, Yuiko half-yanking him off her shoulder. But even despite her insistent pulls, Mokkun just couldn't stop laughing. The stupidity of the irony he had just witnessed was too much for him.

"Ah, Buddha! Nearly a thousand years, and he's still spiritually retarded!"

"What are you _talking_ about, Mokkun?" Yuiko's cheeks puffed out in an indignant pout, the tile floors of the school's hallway clicking beneath her feet, even with those designated soft sandals. At first, she had thought he was going to climb on Fujita-kun, the same way he had the teacher, before. But after getting a good look at him, Mokkun had blanked out like a statue, blurting out a name she didn't recognize, and continued to stare at Fujita until he excused himself. Then he had slowly worked himself up to this state of hysterical laughter, as Yuiko made her way back to the classroom, laughing in her ear the entire way. She was starting to get pissed off.

"Ah-hah! Sorry, sorry it's just- I still can't believe it!" He chortled again, covering his snout with his paws as he tried to control himself. "Toshitsugu! Of all people to be reincarnated!-_ Ow!"_

Yuiko had pulled on his ear hard enough to drag his eyes to meet with her own, her timbre holding a dangerous note of warning. "_Mokkun…"_

"All right, all right! I'll explain! Just let go!" With admitted reluctance, Yuiko released the mononoke's ear, dropping her hands onto her hips as she awaited his explanation. "Your classmate, back there? It's not the first time we've met."

Despite himself, Mokkun chuckled at Yuiko's puzzled expression. "The first time I encountered him, his name was Fujiwara no Toshitsugu- and he was the head trainee of the Onmyou dorms, in Heian-kyo."

Yuiko's perplexity screwed her face into an odd expression. "Wait, so you're saying that Fujita-kun is-"

"A reincarnated onmyouji from a thousand years ago, yes."

Her mind struggled to grasp what Mokkun was telling her. Toshi? An onmyouji? It seemed plausible- especially is he was training to become a Shinto priest. They were basically the modern version of onmyouji, anyways. "Wait, then shouldn't he have been able to see you, then?"

"Toshitsugu?" He laughed aloud. "After enduring his seniority over Masahiro for more than three decades, the closest he ever came to seeing spirits was when he was possessed by an onryo! An even then, he didn't remember a thing about it, afterwards! Given his behavior on the roof, I'd say that hasn't changed, one bit!"

"Wait, so how could he be an onmyouji, though?"

"You don't need to see spirits to have spiritual power." The mononoke settled himself somewhat more comfortably on Yuiko's shoulder. "All-in-all, Toshitsugu was a decent onmyouji, he just didn't have much in the way of power. It's just his arrogance that pisses me off."

"Arrogance? Toshi-kun didn't seem that bad to me."

"Are you kidding?" The small spirit's ears jumped, his fur bristling. "There wasn't a day that went by, that he didn't harass Masahiro! Always sending him on errands, and accusing him of riding of his family's coattails- and Masahiro was the one who _saved_ his sorry ass from that onryo!"

Tiny shoulders bunched and shuffled, as Mokkun dropped his ears in recollection. "And even after a thousand years, he's still doing the same thing- and _still_ can't see spirits. It's just sad." What could only be called a malicious chuckle escaped from the mononoke, then, a dark grin forming on his snout. "Oooh, I'm gonna _enjoy_ getting back at him, believe me! Ah- hey! Yuiko?"

Without warning, the high school girl lurched forward, hand clenching the front of her uniform as if it could put a stop to the sudden rush of feeling- as if someone had pushed her from behind through sheer animosity. Pupils dilated, her gaze shot out the windows of the hallway into the courtyard. It was almost as if she could physically perceive the bloodlust that was overwhelming her, like claws slowly tearing down her spine.

_Abe no musume…_

Something was watching her, she was certain of it- her eyes raping the school grounds in desperation. Her breathing was tight and shallow- it was something dark, evil. Something that imagined the taste of her blood in its mouth when it looked at her. But she was at school! Classes were going on! Students and teachers filled the building! If something were to attack her here-

"_Yuiko!"_

Mokkun's voice snapped her out of her panic-driven state, his teeth digging into her skin better than a bucket of ice water. Seeing she had regained herself, he gingerly released her, taking care the tiny razors didn't draw blood. "Are you all right, now?"

"Y-yeah…" She eased out a breath she hadn't been aware she'd been holding. "Thanks, Mokkun."

"I'm guessing… That you sensed something?" His words were cautious- the last thing he needed was her freaking out again.

"Yeah. There's… a demon, nearby."

"A demon? Are you certain?"

"Absolutely. I don't know where, but… It's like I can _feel_ its eyes on me… Like I can _hear _it, calling for me…"

She was trembling, but her eyes were focused- clear. But Mokkun's worries hadn't dissipated. Yuiko was acting like she had, before they'd come home to see those attacked lesser demons, but the reaction this time was much stronger. And given the vacant expression she'd worn a moment ago, so similar to those times he'd seen Masahiro or Seimei using the spell of far sight… Was it possible? Given her pedigree, it wasn't unthinkable, and it was a talent that appeared far more often in women than men. Foresight- clairvoyance. Maybe not the sort that allowed one to glimpse into the future, but a definite premonition of sorts. The kind that detected the hostility of one's enemies, and the danger directed against her, even when it was as far away as the shrine.

But if this was true, then that meant a demon was close by- and could only be picked up by Yuiko's senses. After all, if it was anything like Shuten'Doji, then it should've been easily capable of concealing its presence from him. He wasn't Ten'Itsu or Tenku, he didn't have the ability to feel latent hostility, and so couldn't detect those enemies lurking in shadow. And while he was confident he could spirit Yuiko to safety, that said nothing if the demon chose to attack them while she was in class…

Leaping from her shoulder, Mokkun gave her a look of strict urgency that was not to be argued with. "You should skip the rest of your classes, today. Call out sick, or something."

Her skin going pale with cool sweat, Yuiko nodded. "Yeah…"

…

Back in class, only Fujita Toshi seemed to take note of Yuiko's sudden lack of absence.

~~~~~~~~~~Spacer~~~~~~~~~~

Thankfully, the streets weren't horribly crowded, but it didn't make Yuiko any more comfortable. Given the sidelong glances she was getting as she made her way towards the train station, she could easily guess what the people around her were thinking, when they saw her uniform. "Delinquent yankee girl!" or "Skipping school to go on a date with some older guy, I'll bet!" were the precise words that came to mind. Not that she could blame them, had she seen herself ditching school so early, she probably would've thought the same. But the chastisement irradiating from them blanketed her under its pressure, it was almost suffocating. Besides, Yuiko had never been the subtle sort, and languishing under their quiet admonishment was only pissing her off. Her fingers gnawed at the leather strap of her satchel as she considered turning around and screaming at the onlookers at the top her lungs, to say: _"If you wanna say something, then fucking say it!"_

Mokkun paced beside her, his crimson eyes alert as they made their way to the train station. Unlike Yuiko, his focus wasn't on the surrounding crowd, but that which was lurking just beyond them. After all, if a demon had truly been as close as Yuiko claimed, then there could be no telling whose shadow they were hiding behind, which shade disguised their presence. If they could, he wanted them to get back by normal means- after all, Yuiko did have a point about a high school girl being seen flying through the air, even if he was carrying her. Once they were safely back at the shrine, he could venture out on his own, scouring for evidence of the pursuing demon- maybe even draw it out into the open. But that would have to wait, until Yuiko was out of danger.

"Do you still feel it?"

"I think so…" Her voice low so people would only think she was muttering to herself, Yuiko paused at the corner crosswalk, feigning the wait for the light to change as she carefully glanced behind. She didn't _see_ anything in the crowd… So why did she still feel those cold eyes on her? Was it hiding beneath the shadows, like how Shuten'Doji had? But that didn't seem right… It was as if it were dragging behind them- like a silk scarf tied at the ankle. But no matter how many time she thought she felt it watching, how often she looked back for it, it always seemed to vanish just before she could catch a glimpse of it, it's shadow reflected only briefly in the furthest corner of her eye.

It was beginning to piss her off.

_All right, you bastard… Since you won't come out in the open, I'll just have to make you._

"…Hey, Yuiko? The train station's this way!" Mokkun did a double-take, as the high schooler suddenly spun on her heel, veering down a side street. She paid no mind to him as she plodded further and further away from the main street, her hard pace forcing even the nimble mononoke to speed up to keep tabs. Catching up at last, Mokkun leapt atop her shoulder with an audible growl, glancing up at her new destination- the park. The mononoke nearly shouted in her ear.

"What do you think you're _doing?_ We're supposed to be going _home_, not going for a stroll!" If Yuiko was paying attention to him, she did a remarkable job of pretending not to. Regardless of his claws digging just hard enough into her shoulder, and his very loud voice right next to her ear, the high school student kept walking diligently onward, past the park gate. There were people here, as well, though not nearly so many as on the streets, and so Yuiko veered away from the beaten path, venturing further and further into the trees, until she was buried by the foliage.

"…Yuiko?"

There was an unusual ferocity in her red-brown eyes, very similar to the hard edge she had shown this morning, in her early practice. Mokkun's small mouth became a thin, black line, his ears dropping against his skull in suspicion, as the presence trailing them began to converge. It was as if a stone had been dropped into his stomach, sinking lower with every passing second that his ward walked deeper into the trees of the park, out of sight of other people. He caught glimpse of a slithering tendril of darkness, lurking behind them, in the brush, and the stone plummeted.

Yuiko had turned herself into bait.

Coming to a halt in a small clearing, Yuiko at last turned to face the oncoming presence. She could feel it clearly, now, as if leaving behind the frenzy of the streets had narrowed her focus.

"_Idiot!"_ Mokkun hissed reprimandingly, jumping from her shoulder to take a protective stance not two steps in front of her. "How about _talking_ with me, before doing something like this?"

"Hey, it worked, didn't it?" Her satchel discarded nonchalantly at the foot of a tree trunk, Yuiko tugged the fingerless training gloves on her hands, making certain their fit was snug. "Now we'll get to see the bastard that's been tailing us."

"Yeah? And how about _getting away_ from it?" The mononoke snapped in response, his voice more growl than word. "Didn't think about _that,_ did ya!"

As much as he wanted to rip into the girl, Mokkun had no opportunity. Something in the underbrush rustled, making his senses surge with the approach of darkness- Yuiko's baiting had indeed worked. So much so that their enemy no longer felt the need to disguise itself or its presence. His hackles raised, the mononoke tensed himself for the anticipated attack, locking squarely with a pair of eyes bleeding crimson in the shadows.

It shot out of the underbrush like a bolt of obsidian, all glittering scales and silver fangs, glinting venom. _So our enemy this time is a serpent, eh?_ In the same heartbeat, Mokkun pounced, fur blazing and claws digging sharply into the scaled side. Even as it wrapped itself about him, lashing in fury and pain, the shikigami couldn't help wondering at how small it was, when compared to the last demon sent after Yuiko. Not that size was a matter of import among demons, but to first send so powerful an opponent, only to send such a weak one, next? His fangs found the creature's throat, and the squeezing pressure about his mid-section lessened, the black snake falling limp.

_This was a little too easy-_

"_Mokkun!"_

Burning eyes shot up at her alarming cry, seeking out his ward, as she slowly backed away from something. Two more snakes, identical to the one he had just killed, now slithered towards the high school student, their forked tongues tasting the air.

"So the first was a decoy, eh?" He spat, darting forward- only to suddenly be yanked back in surprise, a sudden force crushing the air from his lungs. Black scales encircled his white-furred chest, and for a moment, he thought perhaps the snake he had killed was still alive. But, no- there it lay at his feet, melting away as if it had been made of ink, while another serpent now lashed itself securely about his body.

It would take more than fangs, this time.

"Dammit- _Yuiko, run!"_

"_Eh?"_ She took another step back, the serpents backing her further into the darkness of the woods. "But, Mokkun! I can't just-"

"Nevermind me, just get going!" He snapped, using a claw to thrust the tightening coils away from him. The crimson mark on his forehead began to burn, his body engulfed in hellish fire and turning the scaled surrounding him to ash. In a flashing pounce, he was between Yuiko and the demon snakes. "I'll handle these ones, just get back to the shrine! _Go!"_

Yuiko's teeth ground together so hard, they threatened to crack, her legs trembling.

"_Yuiko!"_

As if her name had broken the spell holding her, she spun on her heel and dove into the forest at a run. Mokkun heaved a relieved sigh, returning his crimson gaze to the enemies before him. Now, so long as Yuiko didn't have any more hair-brained ideas, he could take care of those enemies she had deliberately lured out of the shadows.

In response, the snakes halted their approach, reeling back to dance in his vision, their hissing like a subtle, mocking laughter. Mokkun's hackles raised, as a second pair slithered out of the darkness of the forest to join the forest. Bloody eyes lit up the shadows, and the shikigami's rising flames were joined by a deep-throated growl. They slipped towards him in the grass, baring fangs dripping with malice and their eyes with blood. Once again, the mark on his forehead burned.

"You didn't honestly think I'd let you anywhere near Yuiko, did you?" His voice was crimson with fury, as the flames at his feet began to scorch the earth.

~~~~~~~~~~Spacer~~~~~~~~~~

She'd barely gained any distance between herself and the mass Mokkun was now fighting, feeling the heat of his flames even from here. Her escape cut off by three glowing sets of bleeding eyes, pushing her back the way she had come, where another four were slithering up around her. She dropped against the trunk of a tree for support, her shins and socks scraped from the bramble and thorns of the underbrush. The rough bark felt like sandpaper against the skin of her fingertips, and it ground against her with the ragged shakes of her breathing.

Mokkun had told her to run. Even though she had been the one to feel the enemy's presence, though she had gone out of her way to lure them out. Every cell in her body screamed in protest- why should he be the one to fight? Wasn't it her life that was in danger? Didn't she have the right to protect herself? But the command in his voice had been absolute, and regardless of whether she wanted to stay or not, and her body moved of its own volition.

And despite Mokkun's intentions of holding off the black serpents, she'd been followed, regardless.

"Gotta admit- there's a helluva lot more of you bastards then I thought." She chuckled bleakly, her gloved hand dropping from the tree she'd been using to support her weight. Red-brown eyes dipped back and forth, counting seven. And then, there had been the snakes Mokkun was dealing with- just how many of these things were there? And why snakes? Compared to the monstrous hulk that had been Shuten'Doji, these serpents seemed so pathetic. _But then, they've already gotten me and Mokkun to separate, haven't they?_ Her teeth gnashed against each other in resentment.

_But… is running really the only thing I can do?_

…

A long, slow exhale made its way past Yuiko's lips, her legs ceasing their trembling, straightening with a measure of strength. Gloved hands dipped low in an upwards sweep, while her weight shifted back onto her right foot, fingers beckoning forward with palms upturned. Surrounded on all sides, no chance of running, there was almost a grim satisfaction for her as she descended into a beginning kempo stance, feeling the grip of her training gloves.

"I think I can manage a few snakes."

They came forward as a wave of darkness, a surge of shimmering black scales that moved with impossible speed. Choking down the panic that threatened to break her, Yuiko forced her breathing to stay steady. _Seven surrounding me, closing from each angle… They'll try to latch on with their fangs, and then wrap themselves around me, and the first attack will be…_

She gently took a breath into her lungs.

_From the right side, just behind my shoulder!_

A serpent launched itself into the air, fangs splayed and venom flying. But it encountered only empty space, Yuiko had already dipped to the side, and out of its flight path. Another was preparing to lash its teeth at her, but the moment it sprung forward, she bowed, letting the creature fly easily over her head. Suddenly, she had the freedom to escape.

She didn't move.

_They'll start to converge, now, attacking together._ The predictions came easier, now, her breathing not so tight in her chest. Her eyes hardened in determination. _Stay calm. Focus on your breathing, and predict their movements!_

The next snake lunged straight for her face, forcing Yuiko to throw her upper body as far back as she could, even as another rushed for her legs. Seeing it speeding towards her out of the corner of her eye as she fell back, she planted a hand into the earth, dropping her weight onto it and cart wheeling away from its lethal bite, only to be. Another tried for her middle as she righted back into a standing position, mouth wide. Instead, her flattened palm crashed into the back of its head, sending to smacking back into the brush with an audible crunch.

Her skill at dodging must've taken them surprise, because they slowed their advance, their heads bobbing as the reconsidered how to approach their target. Yuiko allowed herself a faint smirk.

_You see, Mokkun… I __**can**__ fight them._

The next wave that came forward to attack moved in balance, every motion harmonized. Two dove straight for her ankles, twisting in a curl to ensnare her legs and making her dance backwards while the others slipped around her from either side. They wove into the grass and up the trees, dropping from branches to swing their fangs at her defensively upraised arms. Refusing to allow herself to be surrounded again, the muscles in Yuiko's legs corded and snapped like springs, pushing herself out of their immediate range by diving into a side-roll. She was again painfully reminded of how much she'd let herself slip in her training as she landed too hard on her shoulder, sliding in the brush before finally managing to flip herself over and right herself, her right side now a mass of red welts and scratches.

_It's as if… they're all appendages, or something._ Her mind worked furiously, harsh breathing escaping though clenched teeth. _They work together like they're of the same mind- all parts of the same body._

Yuiko's quick roll did little to free her from her entrapment, the blackened snakes, instantly converging upon her as she was getting back on her feet. She flung herself backwards as one threw itself at her face, very nearly throwing off her balance. Glimpsing its bloody eyes as it flew by, she noted it hadn't even bothered to open its jaws. Without hesitating, Yuiko dropped herself forward, catching glimpse of the serpent that had used the first's distraction to try and latch onto her.

_There's no way these things are moving so well, without something coordinating them!_ Motion to her right had Yuiko lashing out with a roundhouse, the back of her heel connecting solidly with another snake trying to lunge at her.

"Bastards…" She panted, struggling to get her breathing back under control. "Not gonna let me slack off for a moment, are you?..."

_That's weird… weren't there seven of them? So why do I only see six?_ Red-brown eyes scanned for the missing serpent, but with all of them disappearing and reappearing beneath the brush, it was all she could do to keep track of their movements. Fingers snapped into tightly curled fists, the leather of her training gloves creaking beneath her grasp. "All right, you sons o' bitches, _bring it on!"_

They attacked in a wave, multiple sets of dripping fangs and bloody eyes massing forward at once, making Yuiko leap back in a crouch. Her sneakers dragged in the earth, her fingers diving into the ground like a brake. Sliding to a halt, forearms crossed defensively before herself as she prepared to rush the enemy. At her back, she felt something warm enough to sear drip onto her skin- giving her just enough time to look back as a pair of fangs dove for her shoulder.

On instinct, her eyes pinched shut to brace herself for the pain.

"_Yuiko!"_

…

The anticipated attack never came. Instead, there was heat, and the roar of fire. Yuiko's red-brown eyes opened to see bronzed skin, and a broad set of shoulders the top of her head could barely reach. The serpent's fangs were buried in a muscular arm that stretched across her, bright blood trailing down the dark tattoos that stained him all the way to his talons. But even that was nothing compared to the burning crimson of his hair, or the angry magma color of his eyes. Yuiko breathed.

"Guren!"

His teeth grit together, white fangs gnashing in fury as his clawed hand tore into the neck of the snake latched onto his bicep, ripping it from his skin and igniting it with a touch. It writhed and shrieked, the shikigami tossing the creature disgustedly to the earth amongst its scattering comrades- who now burned just as the one in his grasp had. And the lone pair of bleeding eyes that Guren locked in his gaze receded into the darkness of the forest, until its presence disappeared altogether.

"Guren!" Yuiko's gloved hands went to his shoulders, as the shikigami dropped to one knee, his eyes boring into the ground. Her fingers were brushing along the bite mark on his arm, concern ringing in her voice. "You're bit! The poison-"

"It's fine. Their venom doesn't have an effect on me." He muttered, bangs shadowing his eyes as a clawed hand came up to reassuringly caress the fingers so gently squeezing at his wound. "You saw how easily they burned. Those things were just shadows- reflections of the true demon controlling them."

Yuiko's sigh of relief was replaced with surprise, as Guren's gentleness turned to severity, the hand atop her own tightening about her wrist almost painfully. Rising to his feet, the shikigami was easily a full head or more taller than herself, and his molten eyes burned into her with fury. "What the _hell_ did you think you were doing, Yuiko? Fighting those things off by _yourself? Bare-handed?"_

"Wha- What the hell's _that_ supposed to mean?" She yanked her hand free, not backing down against his glare- god or no. Instead, her fingers snatched up the corners of his cheeks, making him jerk back in surprise when she started to pinch them, in much the same way she would yank on his ears, as Mokkun "And what else did you _expect_ me to do? _Run away?"_

"_Yes!"_ He roared. "I told you as much! You were supposed to go straight home! But you had to be stupid, and lure them into the open, _didn't you?"_

"It worked, didn't it?" She retorted in a snap. "And now we know what's chasing after us! Besides, we fought them off-"

"_That fight shouldn't have even happened!"_ His volume was such that even Yuiko was forced to take a step back. There was so much raw anger and panic in his molten eyes that she had no response- it astounded her that Guren could get so mad with her. "That venom was a _curse!_ Had that snake bitten you- even _scratched_ you with its fangs- you'd be _dead!_ You're _human,_ Yuiko! An average, everyday high school kid! Ordinary humans like you can't _possibly_ fight with demons, even _with_ your second sight! That's why I'm _here,_ you idiot! You can't protect yourself against demons like that- _what part of that don't you understand?"_

He was leaning over her, their faces close enough for them to feel each other's breath- close enough for the shikigami to clearly see the pained tears starting to rim Yuiko's red-brown eyes. He ignored the pang of guilt in his throat, pushing aside the instinct to pull her close and comfort her. There was no backing down, this time, not until Yuiko understood.

"I _know_ that!" She finally responded, the tears that had threatened spilling down her cheeks. "I _know_ I'm just an ordinary girl, and that I don't have a _chance_ of fighting them! But they're coming after _me_, aren't they? Are you telling me that I can't even _try _to defend myself?"

"…Don't you believe that I'm capable of protecting you?"

"What? Of _course_ I believe in you, you idiot! But I _can't!_ …" Her voice died away, her eyes disappearing beneath the shadow of her bangs. Her hands trembled violently at her sides, one reaching up again for his arm. Her fingers brushing softly against the tiny holes of the snake bite there.

"…I can't watch you… getting _hurt_ like this for me… I _can't…_"

…The sigh that escaped him was filled with exasperation. It wasn't that he didn't sympathize with her feelings. But Yuiko was blind to the importance of her own safety, and that was his top priority. Was she so foolish as to think that he didn't feel the same, in regards to her? Honestly, Yuiko was such a troublesome girl. "You're an idiot."

"How can you say that when I- wha? _Hey! _What the _hell_ do you think you're doing!" She found herself pitched forward, one of Guren's dark claws secured tightly about her waist as he dropped her over his left shoulder. _"Guren!"_

"Stop arguing." The shikigami drawled, his tone final. "I'm taking you home."

"Not like _this,_ you're not! Put me down, _right now!_"

"Forget it. You seem to have problems doing what you're told to. Seems the only way I can keep tabs on you is to carry you."

"What if somebody _sees_, you moron?"

He shrugged indifferently, bouncing her on his shoulder with the faint motion as he started strolling to a nearby clearing. "Even if they do, it'll still be less trouble than letting you wander on your own. At least this way, you can't try anything stupid, again."

Yuiko thrashed and squirmed, her elbow colliding with the back of Guren's head and earning a growl from the shikigami.

"Knock it off!"

"No way! This is _embarrassing!"_

"Just be a good girl, will ya?"

"Put me _down!_ I _mean it!"_

"If you keep kicking like that, you're skirt's gonna fly up!"

That at least got her to stop flailing her legs, and the shikigami was at last able to soar towards the shrine somewhat straight. But he could feel the infuriated curl of her fists against his back, and the slight tremble of her body in his grasp. Something dribbled onto his skin, warm and moist. "I'm gonna get mad, Guren!" She threatened, but he didn't miss the catch in her voice, the faints hiccups as she tried to fend off her angry sobs.

"…I'm sorry, Yuiko, but this conversation's over." Guren rumbled stoically. "You can't fight them- this isn't your battle. You need to understand that…"

…Yuiko continued to weep in frustration.

~~~~~~~~~~Spacer~~~~~~~~~~

_**Free Talk:**__ Finally! Sorry this chapter took so long, everyone. I had a convention, this past weekend, and I needed to finish up my costumes in time. So, sadly, this particular chapter had to be put on the back-burner for a while. Now that NDK's over, though, I'm back, and hope to get back on track with this story! As always, I appreciate all the comments you send me, both positive and negative, I'll read 'em all. I can only hope to keep writing to your standards!_

_How did you like me throwing in Toshitsugu? He's gonna be a bit tricky to write in, I think, because Toshitsugu never got on with Masahiro, but his interaction with Yuiko is completely different. Above all, I want Toshi to be earnest and hard-working, disappointed in those who don't reciprocate, and oblivious to his own obliviousness._

_Feel free to ask me any questions you might have, concerning the story! I can't say I'll answer anything that might give away my plans for the story, but I'm always happy to get 'em! I'll also listen to suggestions, but again, I can't promise I'll use any of them. Until next episode! I ask for your help in keeping myself on top of this story!_


	9. Chapter 8: Let Me Fight

_**Shoujo Onmyoji~ **_

A Fanfiction by Miyuki

Based upon "Shonen Onmyoji"

Foreword: I do not own Shounen Onmyouji or its characters all rights belong to the original owners. This is merely a fan fiction for the purpose of fun and entertainment.

NOTE: Just a little heads up- some of the wording in this chapter is a little harsher than usual. So, if you're offended by foul language, you've been warned.

_Chapter 8: Let Me Fight_

...Tominaga Yuiko.

A young woman of eighteen, from an estranged family of shrine-keepers. She was a fairly average girl- stubborn, cheerful, tomboyish. She enjoyed martial arts and cooking, participated in kempo club, and watched her younger brother on those nights her parents wanted some time to themselves. Before his estrangement with his son, her grandfather, Seizaburou, had even considered making her his successor as head of the Hotaru Shrine. Because Yuiko, like himself, had been possessed of a rare gift that appeared but rarely in the Tominaga family, since the binding of their ancestral powers several generations before.

When the Tominaga family still bore the name of "Abe".

Yuiko was the last descendant of Abe no Masahiro, the successor of Abe no Seimei, the greatest Onmyouji in all Japan's history. In his lifetime, Masahiro was a powerful spiritualist in his own right, perhaps even greater than his grandfather. But even with all his powers and the aid of the Twelve Divine Generals- the Juuni Shinshou- there came an enemy that Masahiro could not best. This devil was so strong, so terrible, that it took all Masahiro's power simply to seal him away. Then, in his fear that one day the demon might break free of his bonds, Masahiro forced a prophecy that chained his descendants to his inevitable defeat sealing their innate talents to pour them into the chosen heir that would become his successor.

But this was not enough to protect them. Long after Masahiro's passing, the seals upon the devil began to weaken, freeing it enough to call upon its ancient minions, sending them to hunt the descendants of his hated enemy. Yuiko's family was butchered by such a servant, leaving her the sole heir and survivor of Masahiro's bloodline. And now, those demons pursued Yuiko herself, seeking to end Masahiro's prophecy before it could ever come to fruition.

…But Yuiko was not dead. She had somehow missed the initial attack that had been intended to erase her entire family. She had even survived to meet with the guardian Masahiro had left behind to protect his descendants. And for the first time in innumerable centuries, one of the demon's minions had been slain.

The darkness was far from pleased.

It pulsed and throbbed, like a heartbeat in arrhythmia. Its anger giving a light of madness to the otherwise all-consuming blackness of the depths that had encased it for the last millennia. Illuminating the pathways carved into the ancient stone by moisture throughout the centuries… and the skulls of those devoured by its servants, dragged into the depths by supernatural means. The bones clattered, accompanied by a dry crunching sound, akin to the noise made by footsteps in loose gravel. The evil light reflected the faintest of motions in the far corners of the buried cavern, off fur and claws, and the gleam off bloody fangs, as a demon gnawed upon the remnants of its latest meal.

_**…Unnacceptable…**_

The dry crunching paused for a moment, followed by a snarling, snort of a laugh.

_"Something the matter?"_ Came the rumbling response, growling malice as long fangs tore through bone. _"As I recall, it was __**you**__ who gave me leave to handle the family as I pleased. So I fail to see why you're so upset about it."_

_**...The girl **_**lives!**

_ "Ah yes, indeed she does."_ There came a darkened chuckle, akin to the scraping of a dagger. _"What of it?"_

_**You were supposed to kill them **_**all**_**!**_

_"My deepest apologies."_ The great form bowed, but did nothing to disguise the mockery in his tone. _"When I slew the Tominaga family, I was unaware that they'od had a daughter, as well. Forgive my negligence, and rest assured that I shall surely send her to join the rest."_

_**Spare me your lies, beast. I am fully aware of your intentions to devour the surviving Tominaga daughter as a sacrifice, to restore your powers.**_

_ "Well, if you already __**know**__…" _The monstrous mouth cracked into a sick, blood-rimmed parody of a smirk. _"The girl is not like the rest of her family before her- she has __**power.**__ If she is allowed to cultivate it, then that power will flourish, and she shall become capable of much more. Making it all the sweeter when I devour her."_

_**Unnacceptable!**_ The akuma'a heartbeat thrummed, it's evil light momentarily illuminating the entire cavern. _**If Masahiro's prophesized descendant awakens, it will be disastrous! The bloodline of Abe cannot be allowed to grow any stronger- least of all for your petty whim to consume them as a sacrifice!**_

_ "Perhaps it is- but no more so than yours, wouldn't you agree?"_

_**You dare speak such insolence?**_

_ "You forget that I am not one of your servants."_ A dangerous growl rumbled from the depths of the demon's throat. _"I may be grateful to you for resurrecting me, but do not think this means you can command me as you do those pathetic monstrosities. I will indeed kill the Daughter of Abe- in such a way that will satisfy my __**own**__ vengeance!"_

_**…You presume too much.**_

_ "What?"_

_**You assume that I will even allow the girl to reach the level you wish…**_

_** …Orochi…**_

A new sound made it's way into the darkness. Moist and stretched, accompanied by a faint hiss. A pair of gleaming, bloody eyes appeared in the gloom, sunken into the cavities of a serpent's flat head. Its scales glittered black, even in the swallowing darkness. Before the throbbing heart of the sealed akuma, it lifted itself, tongue tasting the air as if speaking that way.

_"Hmph…"_ The second form in the cavern dropped back down amidst its mass of bones and corpses, stones clattering with the weight of his being._ "You're using that decrepit hydra as your pawn, this time?"_

_**You underestimate Orochi… Already, he has come within striking distance of the girl… Though I admit it was a shame that you could not curse her with her venomous fangs…**_

The serpent named Orochi dipped his tongue again into the air, its body coiling about itself as it spoke invisibly with its master.

_**Yes… You are quite right. Before we can dispose of Abe's surviving heir, we must do something about her troublesome guardian… I approve of your methods.**_

_"Huh… Touda, is it?"_ The second form draped claws over each other, the great mouth going wide with a yawn and exposing layers of wickedly sharp fangs to the dim light. _"You should tell your pet snake not to get overconfident- after all, hasn't Shuten'Doji already been killed?"_

_**You don't seem terribly concerned, for one so interested in having her as your prey…**_

_"I'm not. If the girl dies against a weakling like him, then she'll never have been worthy of being my sacrifice, in the first place."_ Bleeding eyes leveled towards those golden orbs belonging to the horned creature in the corner, Orochi's head now swiveling in a mesmerizing dance as the demons faced off in a staring match. The sheer malevolence that poured out of the snake's eyes was enough to even make the formidable demon's fur coat shudder with a measure of unease. Nonetheless, a dark chortle rumbled its way out from his long neck.

"_On the other hand, if she manages to defeat him, well… Then she might just be worthwhile, hmm?"_

~~~~~~~~~~Spacer~~~~~~~~~~

She felt the discomfort of sand rimming her eyes, the moment she opened them. Even the covers seemed unusually heavy to her as she moved them aside the rub her vision, her motions sluggish. There wasn't any need to worry about the alarm, seeing as how she'd actually woken up about thirty minutes early- so why did she feel so much more exhausted today?

_Maybe it was that weird dream I had…_ Her thoughts jumbled together as she let out a wide yawn. She couldn't actually remember much of it, just blurred images. It was a dream about a boy- at first, she had thought it was Yuichi, but there was too much wrong with that. His manner and voice were off, even the way he carried himself. He dressed in archaic clothing that was deep red, and wore his long hair in a low tail. He seemed to be fighting, but against what she couldn't recall. But there was something else displaced about the dream, the only other clear fact she could recall- Guren had been at his side.

On her way to the bath, red-brown eyes drifted to where the spirit in question should've been sleeping, but the shikigami's usual spot was empty. Again. In truth, since their encounter with those shadow-snakes, Mokkun had scarcely been around her. (Of course, after realizing she had dropped her satchel in the park where they'd fended off the serpents, she immediately made the shikigami take her back that same night to go hunting around for it in the woods in the dark. They'd even managed to scare off a bum with the flashlight Guren was holding, seeing as how it appeared to be floating on its own to the poor, drunk wine-o. She still felt kinda bad about it.)

He was always in the vicinity, keeping a close watch on her. But other than that, he seemed to be trying to make himself as scarce as possible. He wasn't around for lunch, even when she went out of her way to make the both of them an extra-large obento. At home, he would immediately retreat to the Zelkova, and unless called for dinner, would pretend to be napping. His aloof treatment was wearing infinitely thin, even more so because she knew what he was doing.

He was avoiding their inevitable conversation.

Yuiko sunk into the steaming bath as she dwelled on that, submerging her self past her nose and exhaling bubbles of irritation beneath the water. After all, he hadn't been the only one trying to avoid it. Throughout the last few days, she'd been doing everything possible to pretend like things were normal- cooking dinner with a fake smile and dutifully paying attention in class, when all she really wanted to do was scream and punch a hole in something. She kept telling herself that she was waiting for him to be the first to say something, the first to bring it up. Clearly, that wasn't going to happen.

"…Fine." She gurgled beneath the bath water, eyes flat with determination as she lifted herself from the soothing warmth. "If he's not going to say something, then I _am."_

~~~~~~~~~~Spacer~~~~~~~~~~

"…Mokkun! Oi, Mokkun!"

One white ear twitched upwards at the sound of Yuiko's voice, a red eye cracking open to peek down at her through the boughs of the Zelkova tree. She was already dressed for school, her white uniform blouse left untucked from her skirt, as usual. He'd caught the aroma of miso soup, earlier- no doubt Yuiko making breakfast. But once again, he'd been absent from the table, and he would again find his portion carefully wrapped and set aside, after she left.

"I know you're up there, Mokkun!" She shouted, smacking her hands onto her hips angrily. He couldn't be certain just how well she could see him through the heavy branches, as tightly curled as he was. And given the tone in her voice, he took that she'd had enough of the awkwardness that had settled between them, since the last attack. His talons dug sharply into the Zelkova's wood as he thought about it, curling up even tighter. Of course, he'd had his reasons for avoiding her- Yuiko's stubbornness being at the top of the list. After she had pulled that insane stunt luring out their pursuer before, he knew perfectly well that she wouldn't accept his decision so easily. She did have a point about her rights to defend herself, but she had yet to grasp just how impossible that was for her.

No matter how you looked at it, Yuiko was human. With the exception of her second sight, she was about as average as average could be. And the enemies they were dealing with were anything _but_ human. Vicious, blood-thirsty demons and monsters, that could tear through a mortal girl as easily as paper. She had been so proud of herself for holding off those serpents, but the entire fight had been a fluke, from the beginning. The demon snakes themselves had been no more than shadows- extensions of the true beast that watched from a safe distance. Even if she had managed to kill one of them, it would have disintegrated into inky nothingness, same as the others. And had even one of those snakes landed so much as a scratch on her… The resulting curse would've been devastating to her.

Yuiko was not Masahiro. She wasn't even a spiritualist, let alone a miko or onmyouji. She had no spells, no formal training in the use of her powers. No matter ho she might wish it otherwise, she could never hope to fight on equal ground with the demons pursuing her. That needed to sink into her head, and until it did, he couldn't be lenient or forgiving with her…

…So why did it feel to him like he was running away?

"…Guren."

The calm, deep-toned exhale of his name sent a shudder of surprise through his fur, both eyes opening wide to regard the high school student at the Zelova's base. Though the anger had relaxed from her stance, there was still a measure of severity in her shoulders. He hands had unfurled, and her eyes remained closed- she was showing a level of discipline in her manner that was unexpected to the shikigami. Her voice had dropped to a calmer octive, and the sigh passing through her lips breathed away her irritation.

"…We have to talk."

In a shivering heartbeat the shikigami in question blurred into existence before her, no longer in his mononoke form, but as his true self. As always, his absolute beauty caught the girl by surprise, making her breath hitch into her throat. His molten eyes poured into the girl before him, a mixture of resolve and reluctance, but he nodded his affirmation.

They needed to settle things.

~~~~~~~~~~Spacer~~~~~~~~~~

"…Sealed?"

Yuiko had lead Guren to the secondary hall, where she practiced her Kempo almost routinely every morning, now. Though the place had almost entirely been converted into a dojo, the beautiful polish of the hardwood floors was kept up diligently by Yuiko, and the room had not lost its calming aura. Both Guardian and Ward farced each other, kneeling awkwardly in the position of seiza. Yuiko particularly wasn't used to sitting so tightly on her knees, so her feet constantly fidgeted beneath her self as she tried to maintain her rigidity. But, to her credit, she had never once looked away from Guren's gaze.

"That's right." He nodded solemnly, having again recounted the origins of Masahiro's prophecy for her. Though this time, Yuiko's questions were more about the akuma- the evil spirit behind the attempts on her life. "He was the most powerful enemy we had ever fought- stronger than any horde of demons we'd encountered. In the end, it was all Masahiro could do, just to seal him away."

"Sou ka…" Yuiko folded her arms beneath her bust, hugging herself as she considered everything she was being told. "And now, the seal is breaking."

Guren nodded. "Masahiro knew his magic wouldn't be enough to hold him indefinitely. He did all he could to strengthen the barrier, but inevitably, it would weaken, and in time, the akuma would break free. So Masahiro took steps, for when that time would come."

"You mean the prophecy."

He nodded once again.

"So the reason this… akuma is sending his servants after me is to prevent the prophecy's fulfillment."

"Partly. But also for vengeance." Guren tilted his head, recounting the past in his memories. "Seimei was the one who had thwarted him the first time, and Masahiro was the one to bind him. His resentment of the Abe bloodline runs deep. If he succeeds in wiping it out, he'll not only have the satisfaction of destroying his most hated enemies, but also put an end to the only threat to stand against him."

"…And that's me."

_"No."_

"Eh?" The surprise at his harsh tone ran through Yuiko's body like electric shock, the dark look on his face only adding to it.

"You have the second sight, this is true, and you seem to have some clairvoyant abilities. This tells me that Masahiro's bind on the Abe bloodline's powers is starting to unravel, and converge upon a single generation. But it's still too soon. _You_ are not Abe's heir of prophecy."

Yuiko leaned forward onto her knees, trying to push her way past the angry intensity of his magma eyes. "But! Didn't you say the seal on the akuma is starting to weaken?"

"It is…" He nodded deeply, his eyes half-lidded. "Another generation- maybe two- and it will break. But not now. Masahiro's powers were not so weak."

"I see…" She wasn't breaking through to him. Her fists curled up on her skirt, bunching the pleats between her fingers. "And the demons coming after me, now?"

"With the barrier weakening, the akuma's power is starting to seep out. He's no doubt been using it to gather servants throughout the centuries. You're the last link in the Abe bloodline, so now all his focus is bent on you."

"Are you saying… that there aren't _any_ other descendants of the Abe bloodline? But, didn't you say that Masahiro had brothers? What about _their_ descendants?"

"There are none."

The words froze in her throat, a singular, horrifying thought caused her body to stiffen, her shoulders going taut as she tried to swallow the painful knot stuck in the throat.

"Narachika's and Yasuchika's lines died out, over the centuries. Only Masahiro's line endured. They changed their name to Tominaga, and became the care-takers of Hotaru-jinja."

"…I see… So then, I'm…" It was like someone was strangling her. Perhaps, by reading that pained expression, a twinge of sympathy entered Guren's stone-faced stoicism. "…I'm really the last, aren't I? The last descendant of Abe no Seimei…"

"…Yes."

The knuckles of her fists had gone white, clenched so tightly as to drain away the blood from her skin. Her eyes were lost beneath the shadow of her bangs, burying her beneath a sad calm. But Guren reacted not at all. Since the conversation had began, he'd maintained a coldness of demeanor that Yuiko was unaccustomed to- as if he were explaining things to a complete stranger. When he looked at her with those chill, calculating eyes, the knife of her frustration twisted in her gut.

"Guren… I want to fight."

He was frozen, unmoving as stone…

"Absolutely not."

"But why?" Yuiko pushed forward, bringing herself only inches from Guren's face. "Why can't I at least _try_ to defend myself? These demons are attacking _me_, aren't they?"

The shikigami's eyes narrowed into burning slits. "They attack you because are an Abe- because you are currently the last link in the bloodline. If _you_ are killed, then the one Masahiro prophesized will never come. Outside of that, you are inconsequential."

_"Inconsequential?"_ Yuiko's tone was a mixture of outrage and disgust. "They murdered my family! Just because of our _ancestry!_ And you say _that's_ inconsequential?"

"For them?" He did not flinch from Yuiko's anger and pain, accepting all her words with a stoic calmness she could not break. He was, after all, still a god. "Yes."

"…Bull-shit."

Yuiko folded back onto her knees like a fan, her fingers now laced so tightly into the fabric of her skirt as to drain away all the blood, leaving his pale skin the cold pallor of snow. But rather than drop her eyes into her hair again, Yuiko's red-brown orbs were so wide as to become streaked with crimson and tears, half-mad. "That's complete _bullshit!_ They attack me- murder my parents, my little brother! Even go so far as to derail a train to get to me, all because of a child I haven't even conceived yet?

"If that's the case, then I hope to god I'm _barren!"_

_That_ took him by surprise. Enough to make the shikigami choke outright in shock, making him slow to react as the high school girl surged to her feet, and started storming out of the secondary hall. "Yuiko!"

"Yuiko what?" She snapped back at him, barely slowing as she glanced over her shoulder. "It's _my_ life, Guren! People that I care about! And you're telling me that I don't have the right to protect them? Or _myself?"_

Despite the strength of her words, Yuiko couldn't help flinching as Guren's molten gaze turned icy. "You don't trust that I can safeguard you?"

"It's not about that!" That stupid, arrogant shikigami! Didn't he understand _anything?_ "Why should I have to sit back and watch, as others get hurt, because of me? Like on the train, when Shuten'Doji attacked!"

Already on his feet, the angry god was stalking towards her, reaching for her arm with dark talons. "You're too important to be risking yourself!"

"Important to who, Guren?" She countered coldly. "My family's dead, remember?"

The words froze in his throat. The impulsive response he might've given dying before the angry pain she strangled him with, her arm easily slipping out of his grasp.

"Fuck this..." She muttered, stunning him with the hostility in her words as she spun on her heel. "I'm going to school- alone!"

He ground his teeth, furious with how easily he'd lost control of the conversation. "Yuiko!"

"No!" She stopped him with a word, one finger extended at his face like a knife. "Maybe Masahiro didn't care enough about you to make you risk yourself for his sake, but _I_ sure as hell do!"

She saw his eyes widen, filled with a mixture of anger and confusion. Yuiko didn't bother to wait for his counter, however. As expected, the deliberate barb at Masahiro was enough to chain him to the spot- and he remained there until long after Yuiko had descended the shrine steps.

~~~~~~~~~~Spacer~~~~~~~~~~

_**Free Talk:**__ Finally, I put something up! I'm sorry this chapter took so long to come out- I had expected to put it up sooner, but moving put a huge damper in those plans. Now, I'm in my new place, with a significantly improved internet connection, and a new chapter finally being put out!_

_I got a few notes that some of you though the chapters were a little long, so this one's a bit shorter. Granted, it's still seven pages. But, keep in mind that shorter chapters means _more_ chapters. This is going to be a long story, after all._

_As always, thanks to everyone for your reviews, comments, and favoriting! I welcome all criticism, and hope I can craft a story to your expectations!_


	10. Chapter 9: Baiting the Trap

_**Shoujo Onmyoji~ **_

A Fanfiction by Miyuki

Based upon "Shonen Onmyoji"

Foreword: I do not own Shounen Onmyouji or its characters all rights belong to the original owners. This is merely a fan fiction for the purpose of fun and entertainment.

NOTE: Just a little heads up- some of the wording in this chapter is a little harsher than usual. So, if you're offended by foul language, you've been warned.

_Chapter 9: Baiting the Trap _

"…Arrogant." Her voice was hard, muttering to herself in the confines of the classroom beneath her breath. "Stupid, hard-headed, lava-brained, bastard of a shikigami…"

Her fingers squeezed the casing of her click pencil, thin lines cracking its shell beneath the pressure of her grip. Behind the barrier of her textbook, Yuiko was scarcely listening to the teacher droll on- given the events of this morning, school was the furthest thing from her mind. How could Guren be so freakin' pig-headed?! Didn't he understand _anything?!_ And to assume that she was being critical of his ability to protect her- had _nothing_ she'd spoken registered? Just what the heck were the bones of shikigami made out of, anyways, lead?! It would certainly explain why nothing seemed to be getting through that thick skull of his!

"Tominaga-san…"

Another crack appeared in her pencil, as her so-called "protector" came to mind. So what, if she wasn't Masahiro's true successor? Even if that was the case, wasn't it _her_ life, now being threatened? And what was this about her being average? Seeing ghosts and spirits, being hunted by demons- how did either of those things equate to her being _normal?_ Her irritable mutterings becoming increasingly violent, Yuiko barely took note of the voice calling for her, or the figure slowly approaching her desk.

"Tominaga-san."

_That does it! When I get home, see if I make him any dinner, tonight! Stupid- moron! Idiot shikigami doesn't know the first thing about-_

"Tominaga-san!"

A ruler slapped across her desk, startling her out of her thoughts enough to make her jump out of her seat. "H-hai!" Her motion was too swift, the chair jerked back before tumbling over. The classroom burst into laughter, and Yuiko's cheeks colored in embarrassment.

"Well, so nice of you to finally respond, Tominaga-san." Serizawa-sensei bounced her ruler across her palm, regarding her student archly. "Do you think you can spare some attention to class, now?"

"H-hai, Serizawa-sensei…" Yuiko's blush deepened, her hands gripping the edges of her uniform skirt in frustration.

Amidst the laughter of her classmates, one voice did not join them. At the front of the room, Fujiwara Toshi watched in silent concern.

~~~~~~~~~~Spacer~~~~~~~~~~

…Toshi was not the only one to gaze at Yuiko with sympathy. From his perch in the trees outside, Mokkun's crimson eyes never left his ward, their usual warmth tempered by a hard edge. Even if she was not aware, he still watched her throughout all her morning classes. Her focus seemed to be as distracted as his own, shifting between her schoolwork and angry mutterings- no doubt about him. But between these things were moments of stillness, where her pain bled through and was visible on her features. And after her embarrassment before the class, the stillness seemed to overwhelm her completely. The agony writ on her features softened the hardness in his eyes, and he wanted for not the last time to put an end to it.

But as he recalled her departing words from this morning, his edge returned in a heartbeat. Yuiko had gone too far, this time. Her insinuation of Masahiro being a heartless coward had been deliberately cruel, and he had yet to forgive her for that. But on the opposing hand, she had also admitted that she cared for the shikigami, and that watching him fight on her behalf pained her. It all had an odd ring of familiarity to it that brought a sad smile to his face. Masahiro had been the same- throughout their many years together, Guren had often thrown himself into the path of danger for his beloved master- unnecessarily, more often than not, as Seimei was always watching over the both of them. And each time he did so, Masahiro would gripe and rant about how cruel the old man could be, as if he didn't care for the shikigami in the slightest. Yuiko's own tantrum had seemed so strangely similar that for a time, he had been bemused by the nostalgia it brought him.

But Yuiko was not Masahiro.

She was admittedly talented, with abilities more promising than many he'd seen appear within the Tominaga line, since Masahiro's seal had been established. She was disciplined and strong-willed, well-trained in kempo, and determined to face her problems head-on. But that narrow-minded focus was also one of her greater weaknesses. The girl was so mule-headed in her determination that she didn't understand when she was outmatched. He had tried to point it out to her, that even with her talents, she was still an ordinary human girl. She couldn't fight demons with her fists, no matter how diligent she was with her training. But delicacy was lost on Yuiko, the more he tried to make her understand, the more she fought against him. The emotions she bore from her tragedy were too powerful, they overcame her reason and drove her to recklessness. At this rate, he was afraid that she would only come to understand her own helplessness after she'd wedged herself into an inescapable situation.

"Honestly… that girl is such a handful…"

The school chimes were ringing, signaling the start of lunch. Yuiko, still morosely distracted, was already moving to leave the classroom, no doubt to have lunch on the roof, as was her usual routine. His head perked up, should he follow her? Almost to the door of the classroom, however, Yuiko was stopped by a familiar face. Mokkun's ears shot upwards, quickly dropping flat against his skull as he watched Fujiwara Toshi approach his ward. For some reason, it bothered him to no end that Toshitsugu, who had been so harsh and criticizing of Masahiro in the past, should be so friendly with Yuiko in his reincarnation. A low growl emanated from his throat as he watched Yuiko agreeing with whatever it was the boy had suggested, and the two departed the classroom together.

His growl dissolved into a sigh. "I suppose this is how a father feels..." The mononoke grumbled, dropping his forehead back onto his paws. Toshitsugu really hadn't been all that bad of a guy- in their later years, he had even proven to be one of Masahiro's closest friends. His dislike was unreasonable, but even so, the idea of Toshitsugu and Yuiko…

…_Touda…_

White ears shot up, his hackles raising as the chill of a demonic aura swept over him. His crimson eyes burned, teeth gnashing. Where was it- it was the same demon as before! There was nothing on the roof or visible in the classroom windows, no sign of either the demon _or_ of Yuiko. No sudden screams, no panicked cries- no visible signs of attack in the slightest. But the bloodlust that poured at him was unmistakable, making the shikigami all-too aware of the serpentine eyes that were watching him.

"Bastard! Where are you?!" He demanded of the air, the higher-pitched voice of his mononoke form overlapped by the resounding timbre of his true one. In response, he felt, rather than heard, a hissing chuckle. It wasn't a voice, per se… it held no gender or defining pitch, and did not come from any specified direction. Regardless of how it was communicating, the protective spirit understood the communication being projected at him.

…_You will not find me, O God of Hellfire…_ Came the mocking reply. _Rest assured… I have not come for your precious Daughter of Abe…_

"Forgive me if I don't believe you!" He snapped in response, lunging from his tree branch to get a clearer view of the surrounding courtyard.

_I have not come for her._ It repeated sternly. _How can I hope to approach her, if you are ever at her side?_ _You have proven already that you will blockade all attempts to kill her… Truly, Touda, you are becoming quite an irritation to my master and I…_

"So glad I could be of service!"

_Indeed… It has become apparent to us that before we can pursue her… We must get by you._

"And?" His challenge dropped into a growl, the small mononoke spinning on his paws as he glared in all possible directions. "If there's a point to this, you better get to it before I decide to burn you out of hiding!"

A hissing laughter reverberated in his ears, setting his teeth on edge.

…_I propose a challenge._

His angry quivering ceased, halted by the sheer audacity of the demon's proposition. The bald-faced arrogance in those words was beyond anything the shikigami had expected. A _challenge?_ The demon was suggesting a _duel_ between the two of them? Once more, his ears flattened against his skull, this time in mistrustful hate. "You _can't_ be serious."

_Oh, but I am._

The smugness in that response did nothing to ease him.

"I refuse." He responded flatly, an underlying growl in his voice betraying his own hatred.

_So quick to decide._ The laughter still lingered in the serpentine voice. _Afraid to leave the girl alone?_

"I _know_ your kind." Came the retort, "Even if I accepted, what guarantee do I have that you wouldn't simply attack Yuiko in my absence? You're just looking to draw me away from her, and make her vulnerable!"

_You judge too quickly, Touda… For while you claim us youkai to be so devious, I can just as easily claim the same deviousness of the Gods._

His fur bristled at the implied insult. "What! Since when have-"

_Susano'o. In the days when I ruled the lands of Izumo, the arrogant younger brother of Amaterasu came to me with an offering sake. And while I slept, he slew me and claimed my sacrifice!_

The hatred in the demon's voice was enough to set him back on his heels. He recognized the story, and the gods he had mentioned were not small ones by any means. Amaterasu was the Sun Goddess, Japan's chief deity, and Susano'o likewise a powerful god, far more so than himself. "…You are Yamata no Orochi."

_Indeed…_ There was bitter smugness in that response. _You can see why I would propose this challenge, then? _

The mononoke grunted in reluctant concession. "And? Just 'cuz you got had by the Sun Goddess' kid brother, you think I'm gonna agree to your stupid challenge?"

_I suppose not… But be aware, O God of Hellfire that I will continue to pursue your precious Daughter of Abe, should you refuse. _Even without seeing him, Mokkun could feel the demon's bloody eyes narrow into slivers of hate. _And if you are not so open to my challenge, then perhaps she will be…_

For a long moment, he was silent. There was a part of his mind that was resisting, calling him mad for even contemplating such a duel. It was true that not all demons were callow and without honor. The bitterness in Orochi's voice had been very real. Furthermore, there was still the dilemma of Yuiko, herself. Until she accepted that she needed his protection, she would undoubtedly continue to throw herself into his battles under some misguided interpretation that she could defend herself. The words caught in his throat, some primal part of him rebelling against what he was trying to say, and forcing the Shikigami to swallow to overcome his own resistant instinct.

"…Very well. I accept."

~~~~~~~~~~Spacer~~~~~~~~~~

"Toshi-kun, is there a reason you're dragging me up to the nurse's office?" Yuiko drolled at her "escort" from behind. It wouldn't have been hard for Yuiko to break out of his grip, if she had really wanted- she knew that. But as she recalled who it was that tugged her along, and how much he annoyed her alleged guardian, the idea of causing him additional irritation was more than a little appealing to the high schooler. So she resigned herself to Fujiwara's coercion, and let him drag her along.

"Tominaga-san." His tone was deadly serious, and he faced her like a man staring down his fate- which made her more than a little nervous, for some reason. Daring to step closer, Fujiwara dropped his hands across her shoulders, encouraging her to sit down on the infirmary bed. Somewhere inside of herself, she felt a wave of panic. _Wait, he's not gonna confess, is he?! Where the heck is the nurse, anyway?_

"Are you all right, Tominaga-san?" He asked of her, concern laced across his expression. "You've been out of it a lot today… Are you feeling well?"

Her relief came out in an audible sigh. "Is _that_ all? Here I thought- er… Nevermind that." Yuiko took a breath to compose herself. "I'm not sick or anything, Toshi-kun, I've just got a lot on my mind, right now. I'm fine, I promise."

His skepticism was plainly obvious with the arching of his brow, her sempai leaning back and folding his arms to look down at her condescendingly- something that seemed to infuriatingly make her think of Guren. "Really?" He asked in a voice dripping with disbelief.

"Yes! Look, I- I'm having an argument with my-" She paused in searching for the right word. "With my _guardian._ He's being stubborn about something, and it's stupid. It's certainly giving me a headache, but it's not making me sick."

"Huh…" Toshi seemed to accept that explanation, taking a seat in the chair across from her. "Your guardian- how well do you know this person? I'm guessing he's the person your parents left you with so you could finish school here in Kyoto."

Though unintentional, the awkward question caused a flash of pain the cross her face. "He's… been with the family for a long time."

"All right, so what's the problem?"

Great. How the hell was she supposed to explain her problems with a _shikigami_ to her classmate? She couldn't exactly come out and say "I'm being hunted by demons, and he won't let me fight back against them!" Her teeth caught her bottom lip as she contemplated how to phrase her answer.

"He's too protective." She said lamely. "He doesn't think I can defend myself, and tries to handle all of my problems for me."

"Hmm…" Dropping his chin into his open palm contemplatively, Toshi looked like he was seriously considering her problem. Yuiko stifled a groan- when was he gonna figure out that she wanted him to drop the damn subject?!

"Is it really so bad? I mean, if he's so protective, it must means he cares a lot about you, right?"

Brown eyes rolled upwards in disbelief, and Yuiko resigned herself to the conversation. "It isn't that easy, sempai." Bitterness crept into her voice, and she glared out the window, not entirely talking to Fujita anymore. "He doesn't get it… I'm not some little girl he needs to babysit, anymore. I grew up a long time ago… and I'm not defenseless! I can fight- I've been fighting since I was a kid! But anytime I even suggest it, he completely _stonewalls_ me. If he's so scared of me getting hurt, well…

"It's a little _late_ for that…"

Toshi watched her carefully, dropping into the chair at the nurse's desk to observe her throughout her muttering. "…You're mad at him."

"What?" The statement brought her thoughts back from the path they were starting down. "No! I… Well, maybe." Her shoulders reluctantly shrugged in concession. "He's just being so damn stubborn-"

"No." She was interrupted again, Toshi's expression somber. "You're mad at him for something else. Something he wasn't there for."

A catch appeared in her throat, almost making her choke. That couldn't be right… she shook her head, unable to meet his gaze. "No… That wasn't his fault. He couldn't have been there… I don't blame him for that."

"Then who do you blame?" The catch grew bigger, sapping the moisture from her mouth. Though she couldn't look at him, she felt it when Toshi rose, when he scratched the back of his head in awkward discomfort. "Tominaga-san… I don't know what happened, but… It doesn't sound to me like you're talking about you're guardian. You sound angry… and if you're this upset about it, then maybe your guardian's right to keep you away from it. Because, Tominaga-san… it sounds to me like you're looking for someone to take it out on."

…The silence was physically tangible, making the nurse's office seem more like a morgue. Unlike the clamor in her head, which was a veritable Niagara Falls of responses, retorts and denials- but a torrent that never made it past the floodgate of her lips. "…I'm going home, now."

Numb fingers clutched at the handle of her satchel, the pleats of her skirt settling as Yuiko lifted from the bed, her indoor-shoes making muffled squeaks. The action startled Toshi enough that he was frozen for a few moments before jumping up after her. "O-oi! Tominaga-sa-"

"What the _hell_ do you know?!"

He stopped as quickly as he moved, the hand that had been reaching for her wrist jerking back, as if the edge in her voice had left him bleeding. Yuiko's shoulders were visibly trembling, her fingers curled into white-knuckled fists. "You know _nothing!_ …Not about me… So don't fucking act like you _do._"

There wasn't even so much as a backward glance in Fujiwara's direction from beneath Yuiko's feathered bangs. And the senior classman made no attempt to follow as she quietly stormed to the school's entrance. She made no pause, only stalked by the quiet murmurings of the other classrooms in a dead-set path. Anytime she crossed another set of onlookers, her pace ever-so-slightly quickened, hurrying out of their prying sights. But in the emptiness of the front hall, even as she withdrew her sneakers from her tiny show locker. Yuiko's trembling knees finally gave out.

"Dammit… God-_dammit…_ He's right."

Staring down at the shoes in her hands, she felt the hot sting of moisture rimming her eyes. Fujiwara had read her perfectly, loathe as she was to admit it. All of her bluster and pretense about wanting to protect herself- to fight for herself- was a farce, covering for all the outrage and fury that'd been festering in the back of her heart. She didn't want to simply fight her enemies- she wanted to _hurt_ them. And if a classmate who barely knew her could see through her so easily, then there was no way _he_ hadn't.

"So… what am I supposed to _do_, then?" She muttered to her sneakers, clutching their rubber soles. "Do I stand behind the barrier, and watch as demons throw themselves at it, to get me? Do I just let those lesser demons keep getting slaughtered? …Do I smile, and bear it… when Guren gets torn up defending me?"

Images of the fight with Shuten'Doji flashed through in sequence, most sharply of the deep gash in Guren's back as he placed himself between the Oni King and Yuiko. The tears burned hotter. Head bowed, Yuiko went through the motions of switching her shoes, gathering her things and departing out the front. Lunch had ended, classes were back in session, so there was no one to keep her from leaving. But rather than shuffle out the gate, Yuiko instead stopped in the courtyard's center, at the foot of the cherry tree planted there, where she knew he'd been watching her all day.

"…I can't do it, Mokkun." She mumbled, her forehead pressing itself against the course bark. "I can't just sit back and watch, while you throw yourself in harm's way for me… Mokkun?"

Peering up into the branches for the small and furry form, she found only leaves and foliage. Was he in a different tree? "Mokkun! I know you're around here! You've been following me to school every day, so don't expect me to believe you're not!"

…Nothing. Yuiko's hand dropped into a nervous fist. No matter how angry he was at her, Yuiko knew better than to think he would simply abandon her. He'd made it abundantly clear that he was responsible for her safety, and under no circumstances would he simply leave her alone. Especially not with all the recent attacks that had been directed against her. This made his absence more than a little disturbing to the eighteen-year-old.

"Where are you…?"

_…He's gone…_

The throbbing pulse of the demon's presence took her by surprise, forcing her to thrust an arm out to catch herself. If not for the nearby sakura's trunk, the aura's intensity would very well have dropped her to her knees. Yuiko grit her teeth, pushing back against the bark in defiance of it, but the demon's presence- and Mokkun's startling absence- had her shaking.

_Your protector-deity is not here, Abe no Musume…_

Following the voice that seemed to be speaking directly into her mind, Yuiko zeroed in on the black serpent, meeting its gaze from across the courtyard, where it lurked in the far shadows. The same snake that had attacked her back in the park, the other day. "What've you done with him?" Her voice quivered, but she demanded an answer, all the same. Hissing laughter echoed in response.

_...He is fighting. He believes he is fighting to protect you… And he foolishly believes you will be safe, while he fights alone…_

The words sunk into her bones like a chill, setting her hands to tremble. Unable to tear herself from that crimson gaze, Yuiko pushed herself away from the sakura tree, needing to feel the strength of standing on her own two legs. She knew it wasn't lying- in that same strange way she had known where to find it, she knew the demon had no reason to lie. If anything, it was taunting her with the truth- it _wanted_ to see her scared. To know that she was utterly, helplessly alone.

Yuiko's quaking fingers curled into a fist.

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_"…Isn't it amazing, Mokkun?"_

_ "Amazing? What's so amazing about it? It's just a mountain."_

_ "Are you serious? Just look at it!"_

_ Masahiro, a young man at the age of twenty, gestured grandly at the mountain of Arashiyama, his arm sweeping over the expanse of Hozu river, carving itself into the land. "This place is beautiful! Even more than Kibune!"_

_ "Better not let Takaokami no Kami hear you say that."_

_ "Erk!" The young Onmyouji flinched at that, his tall hat tilting slightly crooked on his head, a sweat drop making its way down the side of his face. For a long moment, spiritualist and spirit shared a look, before finally bursting out into conjoined laughter. "Okay, I think we can both agree not to tell _her_ that. But!" Masahiro cracked a sheepish grin. "I think I'll bring Akiko here, after this assignment is done. She'd love it here- don't you think, Mokkun?"…_

…It had been more than a thousand years since they'd had that conversation. And now, once again, he found himself on the banks of Hozu river, overlooking the expanse of Arashiyama. The river had eaten further into the land, creating a gorge. Buildings and temples now shaped the landscape, where once only sparse villages had dotted it. It was all so very different, from how it once had been…

Guren shook himself from his reverie, continuing in his flight towards the mountain- the agreed upon fighting place. He had chosen a location far away from Yuiko's school, far enough that she wouldn't be able to see anything going on. It had surprised him that Orochi would allow him to pick the battleground- someplace so far removed from people. But then again, nothing about this demon's behavior was typical.

He of course knew the legend of Yamata no Orochi and Susano'o, and he knew enough to realize that the foe he faced was a powerful monstrosity, that had as-yet to reveal its true self. Even so, he was uncertain of what he might expect- legend stated Orochi as being of enormous size, but the serpent had so far only presented itself to them as a swarm of obsidian-scaled snakes. The hellfire god would take no chances, gathering flame into his right hand. The flames extended, taking shape and solidifying into a lethal trident. Despite himself, he stared at the weapon in hesitation- how many centuries had it been, since he'd had a need for it? How rusty was he, from laying idle at Hotaru shrine?

He banished those thoughts with a grunt, settling at last on the earth on the mountainside. Here, at least, there was no one to witness, no one to be endangered. Far away from both the city proper and Kuramadera, none would get hurt. _And Yuiko will be safe…_

"Come out, serpent!" The god's voice roared across the sky, startling the birds from the trees, their rapid ascension sounding like the rush of water. At first, there was no response, only an eerie silence and the quiet howl of the wind. Grasping the shaft of his weapon in both hands, Guren swung the wicked-looking trident at the forest before him, unleashing a brilliant stream of flame. "Yamata no Orochi! I have come for you!"

…This time, he was answered. By the same, hissing laughter he'd heard back at the school. It seemed to come from everywhere, from a thousand voices, scattered amongst the trees and plants of the forest.

_…I am here, O god of Hellfire…_

Patches of iridescent black could been seen now, moving in the foliage and the underbrush, glowing crimson peering at him from the shadows. His grasp tightening on his weapon. They sprung from the earth like black roses, their tongues flicking the air in mockery. There were hundreds- perhaps thousands, of the obsidian serpents, encircling him. And in his countenance, their laughter grew ever louder.

_Welcome, Touda… How happy I am that you have come…_

"Feh! Like I give a damn." Guren's voice rumbled dangerously in the depths of his throat. "I agreed to your challenge Orochi- so let's get this over with!"

_Indeed…_ The laughter grew louder, and with it the rustle of scales slithering across the ground. _You cannot know how much your presence here pleases me… And your utter foolishness!_

A wave of serpents lunged at him from the rear, forcing the shikigami to launch himself into the sky. But it seemed attacking him had never been their intention, as the multitude of snakes began crawl over one another, growing ever-larger in mass. The more of them joined the writhing pile, the miasma that had been scattered amongst them began to manifest itself. A deep crimson pooled beneath them, as if they were bleeding from their scales. And with is came a noxious aura so foul, it scarred the very earth, turning it black and causing the plants to wither. Such corrosive power… how many of these serpents had Orochi split himself into, for him not to have detected it before? Subconsciously, Guren started holding his breath, uncertain of how toxic the crimson vapors might be.

_To think you would be so naïve! Even I did not believe you would be so easily fooled!_

"What was that?!" His entire body tensed in anger, flames sparking across his skin… But in that same breath, his fire went cold.

_(-Guren! Where are you?!)_

He heard her calling to him, from across the city. There was panic there, a tremor of fear. She was out of breath, running from something, and she was desperately trying to find him. Yuiko was in danger.

"Bastard…" He trembled in outrage, his claws digging into his own palms from around the shaft of his trident, drawing blood. "You _bastard!_ It was a deception, after all?!"

_But of course, it was!_ Orochi's laughter echoed in the thousands. _Your desperation to keep the girl safe has played against you- you should know better than trust a demon!_

The writhing mass pulsed with evil power, individual snakes melting into singular scales. The body elongated- twenty, thirty, even fifty feet, becoming of incomparable size. Its obsidian scales seeped poisonous blood, and serpentine tendrils grew upon its back, like a forest. But at the neck, the body split, forming not one, but seven heads, each with gleaming crimson eyes and enormous fangs, dripping with venom. _Behold, Touda!_ The seven heads reared at him, the great tail lashing, toppling trees in its wake.

_Behold, the true form of Yamata no Orochi!_

"Feh! And what a beast, you are… hmph!" Guren soared higher, gaining altitude to put distance between himself and the monstrosity Orochi had become. "But you made a mistake, if you think I'm gonna wait around for you!"

Turning his back on Orochi, the shikigami sped into the sky, responding to Yuiko's distress. No matter that he'd fallen for Orochi's deception, he had to break away, and return to Yuiko's side as quickly as possible. Knowing how reckless she was, there was no way she'd stay put at school- but if she could keep running, then he could reach her in time to-

"Gyahhh!"

Electric shock ran through him, his body slamming into an invisible wall. His skin burned at the touch of it, the barrier made up of the same toxic miasma that Orochi exuded from his scales. "What is this?!" Conjuring flames into his hand, Guren hurled the fiery dragon towards the unseen shield. But the flames scattered and dispersed, exploding into fragments of fire that dissipated in the wind.

"What the hell?!"

_Did you think I would be unprepared?_ The taunting laughter of Orochi grew once again, forcing the shikigami to reorient himself. _Now that I have separated you from her, I will not allow you to return so easily!_ _You cannot escape from my seal!_ The enormous serpentine heads began to bob and weave, their crimson eyes narrowing into bloody slits, as if grinning.

_I would not dare to underestimate your power… which is why I use seven heads against you, God of Hellfire… And while you are trapped in battle against them… My eighth shall devour the girl!_

"Teme…" Boiling rage built up within him, making his aura burst into flame. Both hands upon his trident squeezed the shaft, the forked head glowing red with the intensity of his heat and anger. "Then the only choice I have… Is to kill you, outright!"

~~~~~~~~~~Spacer~~~~~~~~~~

_"Outta the way! Move it, move it!"_ Pedestrians on the street were forced to hug the walls or jump out of the sidewalk, as the girl came barreling through, earning reproachful stares from all she passed. But Yuiko had no time for their accusatory glances, pumping her legs for all she was worth. She could still feel the throbbing pulse of the demon's presence, deliberately keeping out of reach to taunt her. She had left the school behind, once it had made its presence known, teasing her with the fact that it had fooled Touda into leaving her unguarded. Leaving her alone.

But for all the haste she moved with, Yuiko was not running.

"Clear the way!" She shouted ahead of herself, making those individuals departing the light rail station jump back in surprise as she hurtled over the turnstile. More than one of them shot a mouthy reproach after her, but Yuiko had already disappeared down the stairs, to the train platform.

Her sneakers skidded to a stop on the tiled floor, leaving trails of rubber. She cast her eyes in all directions, but the station remained empty. "Good." She panted, out of breath. "No one's here."

_Did you think to run from us?_ The voice crept back inside her mind, alerting her to the serpent's presence. Already, she could see the shadows pooling, and the bloody glow... _Or is it… that you thought to spare those around you? Such a selfless act…_

There was only one. It slithered towards her from the stairs, laughing inside her head. But the shadows rippled after it had past, shuddering with unnatural movement. In the depths of her mind, one voice became many, the mocking laughter growing. The shadows split away from the single serpent, becoming serpents of their own. Tendrils of black surrounded her, like stains upon the pristine white of the floor tiles... Somewhere in the distance, she heard the sounding horn of an on-coming train.

"Where is Guren?" Even though her hair stood on end, and her fists her trembling, Yuiko's voice was a demand, not a question.

_Touda, do you mean?_ The eyes of the central serpent narrowed as if in wicked delight. _So foolish, he was… So desperate to keep you safe. He readily agreed to my challenge, thinking to keep you as far from the battle as possible. He should know, he cannot protect you from everything…_

The serpents danced around her, the rustle of their scales heard even over the malicious laughter.

"Damn you…" Yuiko growled, her ire rising. "Where _is_ he?! Tell me! What have you _done_ with him?!"

_Tell you?_ His laughter roared in response. _For what reason should I tell you anything? You need not fear…_

_ I shall unite you both, in death!_

He was mocking her. The weaving forms of the shadow serpents, their hypnotic eyes, the laughter throbbing inside her skull… But Orochi's taunts would not have the effect he wanted.

"You son of a bitch…" Yuiko's hands curled into fists, the fear that had driven her replaced by fury. The thought of Guren, fighting alone… It raised something within her she hadn't felt before. Something… righteous.

"I swear…" She growled, raising one curled fist in defiance. Because of the blood rushing in her ears, she could not hear that their laughter had lessened. Because of the step she took forward, she did not realize that they were slowly backing away.

"I swear… If anything's happened to him…"

… And because of the angry tears stinging her eyes, she could not see the faint glowing aura she was exuding from her own body.

"I will never! _Ever! Forgive you!"_

~~~~~~~~~~Spacer~~~~~~~~~~

_**Free Talk:** And at last! After a very long hiatus, I am back with another chapter of Shoujo Onmyouji! I have to apologize to everyone for taking so long. I tend to have a habit of getting really into something, and then dropping it for a long, long time before picking it back up again. I'm trying to get back into working on this- after all, I really love the series, and I do happen to like this fanfic, so I'd very much like to finish it. But, I know for a fact that is gonna be a long one to complete. So, I must ask you, my readers, for your support to ensure it's finished. In other words- just keep pestering me! The more random comments and messages I get about the fic, the more inclined I am to work on it- good or bad!_

_ Now! Onto free talk! I don't have much to chat about this time- there was no specific historical reference this time, with the exception of Yamata no Orochi, so I'll focus on him, for now. You may have heard of Orochi, as he's been used in several different anime series. According to legend, Orochi was a massive, eight-headed serpent, with a forest on his back, and leaving a trail of blood in its wake- as in, it literally bled as it moved. Orochi ruled over the land of Izumo, and he tormented a particular old couple, as every year, he came to consume one of their eight daughters as a sacrifice. Before long, only one daughter was left. At that time, the outcast god, Susano'o, had been wandering through Izumo. He was taken with the daughter's beauty, and so accepted when the old couple begged him to save her. Realizing that Orochi was powerful, Susano'o played upon one of the demon's great weaknesses- its love of sake. Orochi enjoyed rice wine so much, that it accepted the god's offer of drinking before fighting. Orochi drank so much, that it passed out- and Susano'o took that opportunity to slay it. Following Orochi's death, the god took the daughter as his wife, becoming "Kushinada-hime"._

_ It's a pretty interesting legend, and like I said, one used by quite a few anime. My personal favorite in regards to this is a series called "Blue Seed". If you get the chance, check it out!_

_ On a finishing note, you may notice a few edits to past chapters, pretty soon. That's just me going through, and checking on continuity, and such, so don't mind it. Please look forward to the next chapter, as it promises to be one heck of a fight! As always, thanks to everyone for your reviews, comments, and favorites! I welcome all criticism, good or bad, so please know I appreciate your reviews!_


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